Three more political prisoners join hunger strike in Azerbaijan
Three more convicts, an activist Giyas Ibragimov, a blogger Rashad Ramazanov and a journalist Fikret Faramazoglu, have joined the hunger strike announced earlier by four political prisoners kept in Azerbaijani jails.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 13, four Azerbaijani activists, Ilkin Rustamzade, Bairam Mamedov, Akhsan Nuruzade and Elchin Ismayilly, serving their terms in Colony No. 13, went on a hunger strike in solidarity with Mekhman Guseinov and demanded to release all the country's political prisoners. This was stated by them in a joint statement.
On December 26, 2018, Mekhman Guseinov announced a dry hunger strike in the colony, where he was serving his term, in protest against the new criminal case opened against him. During the hunger strike, Mekhman had severely undermined his health, and began taking liquid dairy products, because of severe stomach pains, but still refuses any other food, his brother and the advocate have stated.
The hunger strike of Messrs Rustamzade, Mamedov, Nuruzade and Ismayilly was joined by Messrs Ibragimov, Faramazoglu and Ramazanov (Agaddin), Ogtai Gyulyalyev, the coordinator of the Centre for the Protection of Political Prisoners, told the "Caucasian Knot" in the evening on January 14.
"The hunger-strikers express their solidarity with Mekhman and demand to release all the political prisoners, including themselves," Mr Gyulyalyev has stated, noting that information about the political prisoners' hunger strike comes from members of their families and from "unofficial sources in jails."
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 15, 2019 at 05:25 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Source: CK correspondent