03 April 2025, 23:55
During hunger strike, health condition of Azeri oppositionist Tofig Yagublu worsened
On the third day of his hunger strike, the health condition of Tofig Yagublu, an Azerbaijani oppositionist, sentenced to nine years in prison, has worsened, but he rejected his advocates' offer to stop his hunger strike.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 1 this year, Yagublu declared an indefinite hunger strike in protest against his imprisonment.
Yagublu was accused of fraud and document forgery. He was convicted of criticizing corruption and human rights violations in Azerbaijan, representatives of the European Union (EU) have stated.
According to Nazim Musaev, a lawyer, he had recommended Yagublu to stop his hunger strike.
"There are also legal grounds for reviewing the sentence ... However, Tofig Yagublu was adamant. He doesn’t trust the Azeri judicial system and intends to hold a hunger strike until he is released, even if it costs him his life," the advocate has explained.
Tofig Yagublu is a former deputy chairman of the “Musavat” Party, a member of the coordinating centre of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), and has been imprisoned several times. The Amnesty International has recognized him as a prisoner of conscience.
Djamil Gasanli, the head of the NCDF’s National Council, has called Yagublu's hunger strike "a step of despair."
"Of course, a hunger strike is an inhumane action; a person punishes himself. However, Tofig Yagublu has no other way to fight the shamelessness committed against him ... He cannot protest against the criminal case fabricated against him in any other way ... He fell victim to his own tireless struggle for freedom and democracy," Mr Gasanli believes.
Yagublu had earlier gone on hunger strikes in custody. Thus, he went on a hunger strike at a detention facility on January 5, 2023, after the court refused to satisfy his complaint about his arrest. On the seventh day, his family managed to hospitalize him, but Yagublu continued the action at the clinic. He ended his hunger strike on January 22, after he was released.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 3, 2025 at 08:51 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medjid Source: СK correspondent
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