Jabbar Savalan

A student at Sumgait State University, Savalan became active in the youth wing of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party (APFP), the nation's primary opposition party to the continued rule of President Ilham Aliyev, son of the previous president Heydar Aliyev. With this group, he participated in an anti-government rally on 20 January; he also re-posted on Facebook an article from a Turkish newspaper that had criticized the president. He urged citizens to join in protesting in Freedom Square in Baku, the nation's capital. ==Arrest and trial==

The following day, 5 February, he was arrested returning from an APFP meeting in the city of Sumgayit. ==International reaction==

Amnesty International described the charges against Savalan as "trumped up", stating its belief that the accusation formed part of a pattern of "similar cases where drugs have been found on prominent critics of the government, such as Eynulla Fatullayev and Sakit Zahidov". The organization named him a prisoner of conscience. His arrest was also protested by the human rights organizations Index on Censorship, ARTICLE 19, and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. Human Rights Watch described the government's actions as a "fresh example of the government's efforts to silence critical voices" and "blatant repression", urging that Savalan be released immediately. On 12 May 2011, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning Azerbaijani "human rights violations" and "oppression of opposition forces". The resolution mentioned concern for Savalan's case by name, noting that he had apparently been "targeted for using Facebook to call for demonstrations against the government" and that "serious doubts" existed regarding the fairness of his drug trial. Savalan was freed from prison following a pardon by President Ilham Aliyev on 26 December 2011. Following his release, Savalan stated that "It feels good to be with my friends again. I feel good now that I can spend time with them and my family." Amnesty International issued a statement welcoming Savalan's release but calling for his conviction to also be overturned. ==Involvement in 2012 protests==

On 6 March 2012, Savalan and three other youth activists were reportedly beaten by Baku police officers during a protest, prompting the Index on Censorship, ARTICLE 19, Reporters Without Borders, and the Committee to Protect Journalists to protest on their behalf in an advocacy letter. In early May, Savalan was conscripted into the army despite being exempt from military service, leading Amnesty International to state concern that he "was targeted for his peaceful activism". ==See also==