The families of two controversially jailed Azerbaijani bloggers have called on US President Barak Obama to request the young men's release during his planned September 24 discussions with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The Caucasus leader will have to heed the voice of the world’s “most powerful democracy,” the families of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli wrote in an open letter to Obama. The two were arrested in July last year, shortly after posting a video on YouTube that lampooned Azerbaijan’s perceived authoritarian rule and lapdog press. They are currently serving two-year and two-and-a-half-year prison terms, respectively, on hooliganism charges.
But with Washington working hard to make amends to Baku for a year of perceived disregard, the chances may prove slim that Obama will want to challenge Aliyev about the bloggers.
Aside from its vast hydrocarbon wealth, Azerbaijan plays a key role as a dispatch point for non-military supplies to Afghanistan. Also at stake is the fate of US diplomat Matthew Bryza's appointment as ambassador to Azerbaijan; the delay in confirming Bryza's appointment is seen by many Azerbaijanis as a sign that Washington is catering to Armenian Diaspora interests.
During her trip to Azerbaijan in July, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton offered only measured criticism of the country's human rights record. If the past is prelude to the future, look for Obama to tread lightly.
Giorgi Lomsadze is a journalist based in Tbilisi, and author of Tamada Tales.
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