By Michael Allen on January 25, 2010
The European Union’s strategy for supporting democracy in its neighborhood must address two different clusters of states, a new report suggests. But a reluctance to extend the prospect of EU accession has taken the momentum out of the gravity model of democratization.
“In the last five years, there has been a virulent intellectual debate about the [read full story]
Posted in Azerbaijan, Backlash, Balkans, Belarus, Bosnia, European Union, Featured, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, authoritarianism, autocrats, color revolutions, democracy promotion, democracy support, democratization, emerging democracies, promoting democracy | Tagged democratization, European, promoting democracy, Supporting Democracy |
By Michael Allen on January 20, 2010
Authoritarian regimes have deliberately targeted and intensified attacks against human rights and democracy advocates over the past year, according to the annual review of Human Rights Watch. [read full story]
Posted in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Blogs, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Human rights, Kenya, National Endowment for Democracy, Regions, Sri Lanka, authoritarianism, democracy, democracy promotion, democracy support, dissidents | Tagged Afghanistan, authoritarian, azerbaijan, burundi, china, democracy, Democratic Republic of the Congo, dissidents, Egypt, ethiopia, human rights watch, Kenya, National Endowment for Democracy, NGOs, non-governmental organizations, Russia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, turkmenistan, uzbekistan |
By Michael Allen on January 13, 2010
What do Liu Xiaobo, Tran Anh Kim, Evgeny Zhovtis, Emin Milli, and Adnan Hajizade have in common?
Find out here.
Posted in Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, dissidents, rule of law |
By Michael Allen on December 22, 2009
Speaking from a steel cage in a Baku courtroom, two Azerbaijani bloggers today told RFE/RL that they would take their case to the European Court of Human Rights:
“There is no bigger honor than fighting for your ideas and values,” said Emin Milli, who, along with Adnan Hajizade, is accused of hooliganism after a scuffle at [read full story]
Posted in Azerbaijan, Blogs, National Endowment for Democracy, authoritarianism, dissidents, freedom of expression |
By Michael Allen on November 11, 2009
A Baku court today sentenced two opposition bloggers to prison in a case that has highlighted declining media freedoms and curbs on civil society in Azerbaijan. Emin Milli, 30, and Adnan Hajizada, 26, received sentences of two and two-and-a-half years, respectively.
The verdict came on the same day as a round table affirmed international concern over the [read full story]
Posted in Azerbaijan, Backlash, Blogs, Democracy assistance, Eurasia, NGOs/Civil society, National Endowment for Democracy, Tools/technology, authoritarianism, backsliding, corruption, democracy support, dissidents, freedom of expression, media, promoting democracy |
By Michael Allen on August 25, 2009
Azerbaijani bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada, currently facing charges of hooliganism, have now been charged with assault, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani Service reports.
The bloggers were arrested after their youth group, Ol, posted a video in which a donkey holds a press conference detailing the wonderful life donkeys enjoy in Azerbaijan.
President Ilham Aliyev’s government has grown increasingly [read full story]
Posted in Azerbaijan, Backlash, Blogs, authoritarianism, dissidents |
By Michael Allen on July 23, 2009
An Azerbaijani court today rejected a complaint filed by jailed bloggers Emin Milli and Adnan Hajizada about mistreatment by police. The hearing, held behind closed doors, concerned Milli and Hajizada’s detention after they filed a complaint against two assailants.
The bloggers were attacked and arrested after a youth group, Ol, posted a video in which a [read full story]
Posted in Azerbaijan, Blogs, Eurasia, Human rights, NGOs/Civil society, National Endowment for Democracy, authoritarianism, media | Tagged Adnan Hajizada, azerbaijan, Emin Milli, Ilham Aliyev, National Endowment for Democracy, Ol, youth group, Youth Rights’ Protection Movement |
By Michael Allen on July 2, 2009
Azerbaijan’s civil society has won at least a temporary victory in blocking proposed amendments to the NGO and media laws that many feared would close political space and harden the Caspian state’s purportedly soft authoritarianism.
The final draft dropped controversial provisions that significantly impeded foreign funding, required NGOs to disclose members; personal details, and prescribed harsh [read full story]
Posted in Azerbaijan, Backlash, Democracy assistance, Eurasia, Human rights, NGOs/Civil society, National Endowment for Democracy, authoritarianism | Tagged authoritarianism, azerbaijan, civil society, Civil Society Defense Committee, media laws, Media Rights Institute, National Endowment for Democracy, NGO law, soft authoritarianism |
By Michael Allen on June 19, 2009
Azerbaijan’s parliament, the Milli Mejlis, has postponed discussion of the proposed amendments to the NGO and media laws scheduled for today. Officials claimed that the deferral was due to lack of but democracy activists insist it was, in the words of one activist “clearly a political move” in response to “strong international and local resistance.”
Some [read full story]
Posted in Azerbaijan, Backlash, Eurasia, NGOs/Civil society, authoritarianism, democracy promotion, media | Tagged authoritarianism, azerbaijan, democracy, NGOs |
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