22:28, 9 September 2020

Baku police disperse rally in defence of Tofig Yagublu

Police officers at a rally in support of Tofig Yagublu. Screenshot of the video by the "Caucasian Knot" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM_Qf7UCckg&feature=emb_logo

More than 30 people were detained at a rally in support of Azerbaijani oppositionist Tofig Yagublu, who went on a hunger strike to protest against his conviction.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 2, Tofig Yagublu, a member of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) and the "Musavat" Party, declared the court's biased attitude in his case on disorderly conduct and went on a hunger strike. The court sentenced Tofig Yagublu to four years and three months of imprisonment. Tofig Yagublu refuses to stop his hunger strike, although he has lost a lot of weight and experiences difficulties while walking, his advocate reports.

Tofig Yagublu was detained on March 22. The police claim that he committed a road traffic accident and attacked a married couple. Tofig Yagublu claims he fell victim to provocation. The human rights organizations "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) and "Amnesty International" (AI) condemned his conviction.

It should be noted that on September 8, not far from Baku, 10 female activists from the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) held a rally in defence of Tofig Yagublu. The women gathered in front of the Themis monument with their hands tied and mouths bandaged.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 9, 2020 at 03:22 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent