Azerbaijani activist Mamedov goes on hunger strike in colony

On June 23, Bairam Mamedov, an activist of the oppositional Azerbaijani "Nida" movement, went on a hunger strike in protest against his custody conditions at the colony.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 8, 2016, the court sentenced Bairam Mamedov to 10 years in prison, after finding him guilty of illegal drug dealing.

On May 10, 2016, Bairam Mamedov, an activist of the movement "Nida" and Giyas Ibragimov, a Facebook user, were detained in Baku. They claimed being persecuted for graffiti on the pedestal of the monument to Heidar Aliev.

Farman Mamedov, Bairam's father, has reported that on June 23, his son went on hunger strike. "Bairam called me from the colony and said that he had started his hunger strike in protest against the heavy custody conditions, and informed the administration of his colony about it in writing," Farman Mamedov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, noting that from the very start of serving his term in Colony No. 13, his son was kept in poor conditions. "Bairam was given a place in the barrack next to the toilet. In summer, the place is especially unbearable because of the stench. The colony boss had assured that as soon as other places became vacant, Bairam would be resettled. Bairam says that these places were sold to other inmates," said the father.

The Penitentiary Service has denied the information about Mamedov's poor custody conditions. "The custody and living conditions of Bairam Mamedov are observed in accordance with the Code on Punishment Execution of the Republic of Azerbaijan," a source from the Service told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.