22:56, 4 November 2006

Hunger strike against pressure on media lasts in Azerbaijan for a week already

Functionaries of the "Azadlyg" Block are holding their hunger strike for the sixth day today in the building where the editorial board of the newspaper "Azadlyg" is located. Mr. Isag Avazoglu, head of the press service of the Party of National Front of Azerbaijan (PNFA), told the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" that yesterday the health condition of two hunger-strikers - Nuraddin Mamedli, PNFA deputy chairman, and Zakir Guseinov, representative of the Democratic Party, - got sharply worsened. Nevertheless, Asad Asadzade, 65, adviser of the PNFA chairman, is going to continue the protest action.

According to I. Avazoglu, yesterday the hunger-strikers were visited by the editors of the leading mass media of the country, who declared that starting November 7 representatives of newspapers "Azadlyg," "Eni Musafat" and "Bizim Yol" would join the hunger-strike action. Besides, on that very day, they plan to hold a protest action near the building of the State Committee for State-Owned Property Management.

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent