Officially, he was convicted for evading military service. However, with this sentence, the Azerbaijani Government has added another political prisoner to its already long list of convicted activists and journalists.
– Bakhtiyar Hajiyev and his message was probably too appealing to be left in liberty, Head of Information Berit Lindeman says. – The Azerbaijani Government feels threatened by a young, educated man in command of the tools for mobilizing a popular protest.
On May 18, a court in Ganja sentenced Hajiyev to two years in prison for evading military service. The Court decision follows a string of arrests and convictions related to the March and April protests in the Azerbaijani Capital Baku demonstrating the ever-tightening grip of president Ilham Aliyev.