[5] On 7 March, Hajiyev passed his lawyer, Elchin Namazov, a letter stating that he had been beaten, tortured, and threatened with sexual abuse while in custody.

[4] Namazov filed a complaint with Ganja's prosecutor's office, but authorities reportedly failed to investigate Hajivev's claims of abuse.

International organizations, including the ComparativeConstitutions Project, have objected to the legality of imprisonment for defying mandatory conscription laws, given the guaranteed rights of Azerbaijani citizens under their own national constitution.

[6] Human Rights Watch described his arrest and conviction as "examples of the Azerbaijani government's efforts to silence dissent" and called on European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek to press for Hajiyev's immediate release on a 20 May visit to Azerbaijan.

[13] US Senator Mark Kirk issued a statement calling for Hajiyev's release, saying that the case "typifies the State Department’s alarming assessment of human rights in Azerbaijan".

[14] On 12 May, the European Parliament passed a resolution condemning Azerbaijan's "practice of intimidating, arresting, prosecuting and convicting independent journalists and political activists on various criminal charges", and called for the release of prisoners including Hajiyev.