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Protesters face an extra three months in prison without trial. Padraig Reidy reports<\/strong><\/p>\n Members of Azerbaijan’s N!DA Civic movement<\/a> have been held since the end of March this year. It was confirmed this week that their pre-trial detention is to continue for another three months.<\/p>\n Rashadat Akhdunov, 28, faces charges related to the possession of firearms. Fellow activist Zaur Gurbanli faces charges of \u201chooliganism\u201d. N!DA insists the charges are false.<\/p>\n Gurblani suffers from Thalassemia, a blood disorder which requires medical monitoring. Akhdunov, meanwhile, has been unable to see his baby who was born after he was taken into custody.<\/p>\n The activists were arrested after protests<\/a> against deaths in the Azerbaijan army. There has been a series of suspicious deaths of non combatant army staff in recent years.<\/p>\n The US Ambassador in Baku called for the activists to be treated fairly.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to follow with concern the cases of these and other individuals arrested as a result of this spring\u2019s protests,\u201d said Richard Morningstar<\/a>. \u201cWe urge the government to ensure that due process and the rule of law are upheld for all detainees, including speedy, fair and transparent trials.\u201d<\/p>\n On 17 May, blogger Ilkin Rustamzadeh was arrested<\/a>, allegedly for \u201cdisturbing public order\u201d after creating a \u201cHarlem Shake\u201d video — despite the fact he claims he was not involved. Rustamzadeh was an organiser of the March protests over military deaths.<\/p>\n