Eynulla Fətullayev's was released from prison in Azerbaijan earlier this year, but it hasn't been long before his place was taken by another human rights activist.
Jabbar Savalan will be 20 on 4 September. He was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison on made-up drugs charges (not dissimilar to Eynulla). He had posted an entry on Facebook calling for a "Day of Rage" inspired by protests in the Middle East and North Africa.
Amnesty International considers him a Prisoner of Conscience and believes he was punished for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. We would like to think he will be supported by people from the UK and around the world.
Jabbar is a football fan. His favourite team is Liverpool, and his favourite player is Fernando Torres.
If you have time, could you please send birthday cards (football-themed would be great) to
Jabbar Savalan Detention Centre No. 10 Muzaffar Narimanov Street Narimanov District Baku City AZERBAIJAN
Jabbar’s birthday is on Sunday 4 September. Mail from the UK takes 7-10 days to reach him.
Please include the following message in Azeri in your card (which means ‘Happy birthday Jabbar’):
Ad günün mübarək olsun Cabbar
There's also a 'Free Jabbar' action that you can take on the Amnesty International UK website.
Finally, the Guardian data blog has posted some fascinating information on how the Former Soviet Union states are doing, 20 years on.