Tofig Yagublu's health condition worsens due to hunger strike

On the fourth day of his hunger strike, the oppositionist, Tofig Yagublu, has health problems, his daughter said. The USA, Great Britain and the EU have criticized his verdict and called on the Azerbaijani authorities to reconsider his case.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 2, Tofig Yagublu, a member of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) and the "Musavat" Party, delivered his final speech in court. The defendant claimed the biased nature of the trial in his criminal case on disorderly conduct and declared a hunger strike. On the following daty, the court sentenced Yagublu to four years and three months in prison.

His health condition deteriorated on the fourth day of his hunger strike, his daughter, Nigyar Khazi, has stated.

"Today, my father has called from the Shuvelan SIZO (pre-trial prison). He said that he often had dizziness and weakness. However, despite this condition, no medical examination was carried out. He was not even placed in the medical unit. True, the SIZO bosses asked him to stop the protest, but my father is adamant," Ms Khazi told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

She has called on SIZO bosses to immediately take action in connection with Yagublu's hunger strike.

The US Embassy called on Azerbaijani authorities to reconsider Yagublu's sentence. "He was convicted on obviously falsified proofs; and this has disappointed the US Embassy to Azerbaijan," says the Embassy's press release received by the "Caucasian Knot".

Officials from the UK and the European Union (EU) have also expressed concern about Yagublu's sentence and urged to reconsider it.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 5, 2020 at 05:16 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.