Azerbaijani journalist goes on hunger strike in SIZO

Polad Aslanov, an Azerbaijani journalist accused of treason, declared a hunger strike at a SIZO (pre-trial prison) to protest against the violation of his rights and a biased trial, as he treated it.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in June 2019, Polad Aslanov, the editor-in-chief of the Azerbaijani Internet resources "Xeberman.com" and "Press-az.com" was detained and taken into custody on suspicion of espionage. On December 24, the journalist was charged with threats of murder or grievous bodily harm. Polad Aslanov himself associated the criminal proceedings against him with his professional journalistic activities.

Today, Gyulmira Aslanova, a spouse of Polad Aslanov, has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that her husband went on a hunger strike on August 5.

"Polad sent an appeal to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev with a request to intervene in the situation to restore justice and end criminal prosecution," Gyulmira Aslanova said.

In his appeal to Ilham Aliev, the journalist wrote that immediately after his detention on June 12, 2019, he and his family members were subjected to "pressure and blackmail" from law enforcers. Polad Aslanov claims that his prosecution was started after he had posted on the "Xeberman.com" website an appeal written by a head of a travel agency, in which the author claimed that law enforcers unreasonably took money from pilgrims sent by the travel agency on the Hajj.

"I got threats of physical violence against my mother, wife, and six-year-old daughter, and I had to sign the testimony earlier prepared by law enforcers," Polad Aslanov wrote in his appeal as translated from the Azerbaijani language by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 7, 2020 at 12:43 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.