PFPA activist Dashgyn Melikov put in prison hospital in Azerbaijan

In Azerbaijan, the health condition of Dashgyn Melikov, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), who is kept in custody, has deteriorated; and he was taken into the prison hospital, said his father Alisafa Melikov.

Let us remind you that on July 3 the Sumgait City Court found Melikov guilty of illegal possession of drugs. The young man rejects all the charges and believes that he is persecuted for political reasons.

According to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, the father Alisafa Melikov told that on July 19 they were called home from SIZO (pre-trial prison) No. 3 and informed that because of Dashgyn's poor health, he was taken to the prison hospital of the Ministry of Justice. The young man suffers from bronchial asthma.

According to Alisafa Melikov, his son is seriously ill. "In prison his life is under threat," he said.

According to Abulfaz Gurbanly, the head of the youth committee of the PFPA, Melikov had long needed medical treatment and hospitalization. "But they didn't do it deliberately until his sentence was announced. Indeed, should he had been found sick, investigators would have been forced to change the freedom restraint measure and release Dashgyn from custody," he said.

Mr Gurbanly has added that "Dashgyn has already been recognized as a political prisoner by many local, and a number of international human rights organizations."