On May 26th the president, Ilham Aliyev, pardoned 90 prisoners, including Eynulla Fatullayev, a journalist and political prisoner. Mr Fatullayev was imprisoned in 2007, convicted on charges including defamation and supporting terrorism. Civil society and human rights groups have claimed that the charges were false and a response to Mr Fatullayev's investigation into the murder in 2005 of a fellow journalist, Elmar Huseynov. After pressure from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the original charges were revoked and Mr Fatullayev was then charged with drug possession, an allegation that provoked widespread criticism among international human rights groups.

Several international human rights and media groups have campaigned for Mr Fatullayev to be released. In April 2010 the ECHR said that Mr Fatullayev should be released from prison and paid EUR25,000 (US$33,000) in "moral damages". The court reiterated this view again in a statement on May 12th 2011. Shortly before Mr Fatullayev's release, Amnesty International launched a Twitter campaign ahead of its 20th Media Awards ceremony, which saw members of the public and well known journalists in several countries tweeting pictures demanding that Mr Aliyev free Mr Fatullayev. Unsurprisingly, international groups praised the decision to release Mr Fatullayev. The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) chair, Audronius Azubalis, said that the move is a "long-awaited day for freedom of speech and freedom of the media".

Mr Fatullayev's release is a positive move towards political freedom, but much room for progress remains. On May 18th Baxtiyar Haciyev was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for evading military service. The decision to jail him appears to be primarily motivated by his move to use Facebook to urge Azerbaijani citizens to hold a protest against Mr Aliyev and the government. There will be greater focus on Azerbaijan's record on human rights and anti-government discontent in the coming months. The recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which have led to the overthrow of several authoritarian regimes, could mean that the international community watches political developments in authoritarian states in other regions more closely. Azerbaijan's victory at the Eurovision Song Contest (an event that attracts viewers from around the globe) has focused international attention on the country. Azerbaijan will host the contest in 2012. Winning the event is a success for the authorities. Mr Aliyev described it as "a great success of the Azerbaijani state and people". The event will give Azerbaijan a unique opportunity to promote itself as a tourist destination, but it will also attract attention to the country's poor record on political and media freedoms. Given that Azerbaijan wants its hosting of the contest to be a success, it could encourage the regime to improve its record on political freedom.