Azerbaijani authorities levied another charge against blogger and University of Richmond alumnus Adnan Hajizada today, which his father said made it clear that the government had no intention of releasing him.
The added charge was deliberate infliction of serious damage to health.
Hajizada and fellow youth activist Emin Milli face another two years added to their possible 10-year sentence on a charge of hooliganism. The bloggers were arrested on July 8, 2009, after being involved in a fight with two men in a restaurant in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
Supporters of Hajizada and Milli claimed the arrest was based on the bloggers' criticism of the government and was a part of a larger crackdown on Internet media.
Azeri government officials have released statements that said the activists were arrested for hooliganism and that other countries needed not get involved.
The trial for the hooliganism charge is scheduled for Sept. 8, 2009, said Hikmet Hajizada, Adnan's father. A trial date will be set within the next 15 days for the charge of deliberate infliction of serious damage to health, according to Hikmet Hajizada and the Turan Information Agency.
Contact staff reporter Stephanie Rice at stephanie.rice@richmond.edu
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