Editor-in-chief of website "Bakupress.az" stops her hunger strike

Shafag Agabalaeva, the editor-in-chief of the website "Bakupress.az", arrested on suspicion of drug dealing, has begun taking food, her son said.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Ms Agabalaeva was detained on May 2 during a special operation in the capital of Azerbaijan on suspicion of drug dealing. The journalist claims that she had been slandered. After the arrest, she said she would go on a hunger strike. However, her son asserts that refusing from eating is dangerous for Agabalaeva's life, because of the diseases she is suffering from.

Shafag Agabalaeva went on her hunger strike at the Baku SIZO-1 (pre-trial prison) on May 20, demanding an objective investigation into her case, the "Turan" News Agency reported on May 23 with reference to her son Fuad Agabalaev.

Fuad said that after three days of hunger strike, his mother's health worsened, and doctors insisted that she stops her protest hunger strike.

At the SIZO, Agabalaeva was visited by officials of the investigating body, who promised to objectively investigate her case, the son said, adding that after the visit, his mother stopped her hunger strike.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 24, 2019 at 04:05 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.