20:31, 25 November 2013

Azerbaijani journalist Parviz Gashimli goes on hunger strike at SIZO

Today, Parviz Gashimli, an employee of the newspaper "Bizim Yol" (Our Way) and the head of the website moderator.az, accused of smuggling and illegal possession of arms, has gone on a hunger strike in the SIZO (pre-trial prison) of the Ministry of National Security (MNS) of Azerbaijan, said his advocate Elchin Sadygov.

The lawyer told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that Gashimli demands "detention in the conditions that do not humiliate his dignity and pose no threat to his health," including transfer to the SIZO of the Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan.

"Parviz is kept in a cell with no access of fresh air. The lamp is on all the time in the cell. This is actually inhumane treatment and even torture. All this has a negative impact on his health," said Sadygov.

"In general, keeping Parviz at the SIZO of the MNS is illegal – it's not correct that the defendant is kept at the disposal of the investigative body, because he can be exposed to pressure there," the lawyer has added.

Author: Faik Medzhid

Source: CK correspondent