Parvana Persiani speaks at first ever World Blogging Forum in Bucharest, Romania

Having just returned from the first-ever World Blogging Forum in Bucharest, Romania, it’s time to reflect on the past few days. For one, the event brought many heavy-weight names from the world of online new and social media in the Palace of the Romanian Parliament. The event was even opened by the country’s president, although there were elections underway, it has to be said.

Mention of sightseeing tours and cultural evenings did raise a few eyebrows, although judging from the hospitality and enthusiasm of what had to be the prettiest conference organizing team ever, Romanians like to welcome and accommodate their guests – and they did that very well indeed. Meanwhile, the region was well-represented with Dodka and Cyxymu from Georgia as well as Emin Huseynzade from Azerbaijan and Erkan Saka from Turkey in attendance.

However, one of the main highlights for me was the presence of Parvana Persiani, even if only for one day. A delightful person who warmed the hearts of many even before her presentation on the case of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli in Baku, Azerbaijan.

For those of you who don’t know, Persiani is on the executive board of the OL! Azerbaijani youth movement, an incredibly impressive and inspiration group in the oil-rich country, and also the girlfriend of detained – now sentenced – video blogger Adnan Hajizade. Ironically, the day after her presentation on the fate of both Hajizade and his colleague Emin Milli, both men were sentenced to 2 and 2.5 years imprisonment for “hooliganism” respectively, a charge few consider genuine and which most consider to be just another attempt to silence dissent.

Hajizade and Milli had been exemplary in their use of new media tools to promote a message of democracy, tolerance and non-violence.

Persiani was actually convinced sentence would be past on the day it was, especially after a last minute rescheduling of the case to morning. Previous trials, she argued, had been started in the afternoon so as not to allow enough time to continue. She appears to be right, and although few also expected the two men to be released, even with international outcry at the case, the news nonetheless came as a shock for some of their supporters.

The World Blogging Forum also issued a preliminary statement and is currently drafting a final, stronger one while everyone from the OSCE to Reporters Without Borders and others have expressed their outrage at what is considered to be a politically motivated trial. Amnesty International has since declared Hajizade and Milli to be prisoners of conscience.

A day before what turned out to be the final court hearing, I interviewed Persiani on the trial. A delightful and thoroughly enjoyable person to have had the privilege to hang out with, my thoughts are with her, Hajizade, Milli and their supporters, families and friends worldwide.

More updates will be posted as of when. Meanwhile, full coverage of the detention, trial and imprisonment of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli is available in the Azerbaijan section of Global Voices Online and on the OL! Blog (in English and Azeri). The hashtag #EminAdnan is also used on Twitter.