Adnan Hajizadeh

Adnan Hikmat oglu Hajizada (, born 13 July 1983) is an Azerbaijani blogger and one of the founders of OL! Azerbaijani Youth Movement. He was employed as an internal communications officer at BP.Adnan Hajizada's Bio

Early life and education

Hajizada was born in Baku. He graduated from Baku European Lyceum, participated in the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) program, and studied for a time at Baku's Qafqaz University. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Richmond and a law degree from Khazar University. He also has a masters in public administration from Columbia University.

Detention and jail sentence On 8 July 2009, Hajizada and another Azerbaijani youth activist and blogger Emin Milli were assaulted and severely beaten by two men in a restaurant in downtown Baku.Global Voices Online (July 8, 2009). "Azerbaijan: Youth activists and bloggers beaten and detained". Retrieved on September 17, 2009. Milli and Hajizada went to file a complaint about the assault, but instead, police detained and opened a criminal case against them, on grounds of hooliganism.The New York Times (July 14, 2009). "In Azerbaijan, a Donkey Suit Provokes Laughs and, Possibly, Arrests". Retrieved on August 10, 2009.

On 10 July 2009, Judge Rauf Ahmadov of the Sabail district court in Baku placed both of them in pretrial detention for two months.Reporters Without Borders (11 July 2009). "Two bloggers held on hooliganism charges" . Retrieved on August 10, 2009.RFE/RL (July 11, 2009). "Azerbaijani Activists Denied Release Before Trial"". Retrieved on August 10, 2009 Günter Nooke, German Federal Commissioner for Human Rights who was present in Baku during their trial but had to wait before the court and eventually, was the only one allowed to see Emin Milli for a few minutes.Der Standard (July 11, 2009). "Hier werden Opfer zu Tätern gemacht". Retrieved on August 10, 2009. Subsequently, higher court rejected their appeal.Reporters Without Borders (July 20, 2009). "Court confirms pre-trial detention for two bloggers" . Retrieved on August 10, 2009.

Reporters Without Borders,Le Figaro (July 11, 2009). "Azerbaïdjan: 2 blogueurs arrêtés (RSF)". Retrieved on August 10, 2009 Organization for Security and Co-operation in EuropeDer Standard (July 15, 2009). "Eine fabrizierte Anklage wegen Rowdytums". Retrieved on August 10, 2009 and European Union,Reuters (July 20, 2009). . Retrieved on August 10, 2009 as well as a number of foreign countries, have strongly condemned Milli and Hajizada's arrest. The case prompted protests from 18 officials of the University of Richmond,Fox News (August 5, 2009). "Professors Protest Detention of Bloggers in Azerbaijan". Retrieved on August 10, 2009. where Hajizada studied and from BP,Reuters (July 12, 2009). Azeri blogger detained, oil major presses case. Retrieved on August 10, 2009. who employed him.

Investigation in Milli and Hajizada's case was concluded on 22 August and an additional charge was brought against them ("deliberately inflicting minor bodily harm").Azeri Press Agency (August 24, 2009). Adnan Hajizada and Emin Milli face one more charge . Retrieved on September 11, 2009. On 4 September, Judge Araz Huseynov presided over the preparatory session where a variety of defense motions, including one to have the charges dropped, another to permit media coverage of the proceedings and a motion to set the defendants free on bail for the duration of their trial were denied.EurasiaNet (September 4, 2009). Azerbaijan: Baku judge denies motion to set jailed youth activists free . Retrieved on September 11, 2009.The Collegian (September 6, 2009). Azerbaijani court refuses to release Hajizada and Milli . Retrieved on September 11, 2009. The first hearing of the case was set on 16 September.Agence France-Presse (September 4, 2009). . Retrieved on September 11, 2009.

Despite domestic and international pressure, on 11 November, the court sentenced Adnan Hajizada to two years in prison and Emin Milli to two years and six months.Reuters (November 11, 2009). Court in Azerbaijan jails opposition bloggers. Retrieved on January 9, 2013. Many rights groups, as well as US, condemned the sentence.AFP (November 11, 2009). US 'regrets' blogger jailings in Azerbaijan. Retrieved on January 9, 2013.

In September 2010, President of the United States Barack Obama called for the men's release during a meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.The White House Office of the Press Secretary (September 24, 2010).Read-out of President Obama's meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Retrieved on January 9, 2013. A month later, the court in Azerbaijan has ordered the release of both jailed bloggers.RFE/RL (November 19, 2010). Court Orders Release Of Azerbaijani 'Donkey Bloggers'. Retrieved on January 9, 2013.

On 18 January 2024, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Azerbaijan had violated Articles 5 § 3 and 6 § 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights in the case of Hajizada and Abdullayev vs. Azerbaijan. The Court found that their pre-trial detention had not been properly justified, noting that the domestic courts relied on standard formulas without addressing the specific circumstances of the case. It also ruled that the applicants' trial was fundamentally unfair, finding that the domestic courts failed to adequately explain why they accepted the prosecution's evidence while dismissing testimony from the applicants' friends as biased. Additionally, the domestic courts had refused, without adequate justification, to hear additional defence witnesses who could have supported the applicants' account that they were the victims of the assault rather than the perpetrators. The Court concluded that the criminal proceedings, considered as a whole, were incompatible with the guarantees of a fair hearing and ordered Azerbaijan to pay each applicant €4700 in non-pecuniary damages.

Adnan Hajizadeh

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