Anti-government protests organised by the citizens of Azerbaijan took place in March and April 2011, inspired by the widespread demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa.
Several people were arrested in the aftermath, and while two have since been released, 15 remain in prison. Tural Abbasli, a 29-year-old postgraduate journalism student from Baku and leader of the youth wing of Musavat, one of Azerbaijan's main opposition parties, is one of those currently in jail.
Amnesty International considers Abbasli and the other people taken into custody to be prisoners of conscience, detained solely for peacefully expressing their views.
Abbasli was arrested on 2 April last year and is currently serving a two-and-a-half year sentence. He reported that he was kicked, punched and beaten with a baton by police officers at Yasamal district police station while in custody. In addition, he has been expelled from university and in the wake of his arrest, several members of his family have been fired from their jobs.
Azerbaijan is hosting this year's Eurovision Song Contest, which will take place in the capital, Baku, in May. The country will offer an opulent stage for voices from across Europe, but at home few critical voices are tolerated. Amnesty has documented severe restrictions on freedom of expression; journalists and activists regularly face intimidation, harassment and unjust arrest while working in the country.
Ahead of Eurovision, Amnesty is urging Azerbaijan to address its unsavoury record on human rights.
Call for Tural Abbasli's release, for an end to the reprisals and harassment that his family are facing and for the politically motivated trials of all peaceful protesters in Azerbaijan to stop.
