Mukhtarly placed into dungeon after announcing hunger strike

Afghan Mukhtarly, a journalist convicted in Azerbaijan, who went on a hunger strike in protest against pressure on his advocate, was placed into a dungeon (punishment cell), his wife has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the advocate, Nemat Kerimli complained of violence and pressure during his visit to his client, Afghan Mukhtarly in an Azerbaijani jail. On September 22, the convicted journalist went on a hunger strike, demanding an objective investigation into his advocate's complaints.

Given the disease suffered by Afghan Mukhtarly, a hunger strike is extremely dangerous, his wife, Leyla Mustafaeva, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "The risk of falling into coma is high," she said. On September 23, when another advocate, Zibeida Sadygova, visited Afghan Mukhtarly, she found out that he had been placed into a dungeon, Ms Mustafaeva has added.

According to her story, Afghan Mukhtarly's advocates have already appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). "The governments of Georgia and Azerbaijan will be held responsible if Afghan Mukhtarly dies, because he was kidnapped by Georgian agents and illegally taken to Azerbaijan on behalf of the Azerbaijani authorities," Leyla Mustafaeva has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 23, 2019 at 08:30 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.