One year ago, a court in Azerbaijan sentenced youth activists Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada to jail terms of 2 1/2 and two years, respectively, in a case that has generated interest far beyond the Caucasus.
Dubbed the “donkey bloggers,” the two men had posted a satirical video shortly before their arrest in which a person dressed as a donkey led a government press conference.
The sentences, handed down on charges of hooliganism, were condemned by rights groups, who say Milli and Hajizada were victimized for crossing the regime of President Ilham Aliyev.
On the anniversary of the bloggers’ imprisonment, RFE/RL correspondent Richard Solash spoke with Leyla Karimli, the New York-based wife of Emin Milli, about her husband’s case, the campaign to release him, and the state of civil rights in Azerbaijan.
