Jabbar Savalan (credit: Turkhan Karimov)
News out of Baku courtesy of Radio Free Europe and the viral Azerbaijan rumor mill is that Jabbar Savalan was released from prison today (26 December) in a general amnesty granted by President Aliyev. As noted earlier on this blog, clemencies for political prisoners are not uncommon, and usually take place to coincide with some national holiday or festival such as the Novruz celebration in the Spring. This amnesty affected roughly 90 convicts, I am told, although evidently Jabbar was the only political prisoner to enjoy a clemency.
I’ll try to get an interview in the coming days, although talking to the foreign press might be something Jabbar is reluctant to do, given the sensitive nature of his trial and conviction.
The raft of Facebook activists and opposition party figures arrested and sentenced to prison terms this year has damaged Azerbaijan’s international image and we may well see further amnesties granted prior to the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, due to be held in Baku in May.