Health condition worsening of Azerbaijani journalist, Polad Aslanov, alarms doctors

The health condition of the Azerbaijani journalist, Polad Aslanov, who has been on a hunger strike for 18 days, demanding a revision of his case, has sharply worsened, his wife has informed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 18, Aslanov's wife, Gyulmira, was received by Kamran Aliev, the Azeri Public Prosecutor General, who took her husband's case under his personal control. Meanwhile, Polad Aslanov continued his hunger strike, despite Kamran Aliev's assurances that his complaint would be considered objectively by the Supreme Court (SC).

In the opinion of rights defenders, the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) can advocate for a mitigation of the verdict, but one should not expect Polad's acquittal.

According to Gyulmira Aslanova, her husband's blood sugar level has dropped, which increases his risk of falling into coma. However, he intends to continue his hunger strike until his complaint is considered by the SC on February 3.

"Polad said that if the SC fails to release him, he would starve to death. He might not survive till the SC's session," Gyulmira Aslanova has concluded.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called hunger strikes of political prisoners in Azerbaijan "almost the only way" to draw attention to the fight for their rights.

Let us remind you that Aslanov was accused of collaborating with foreign intelligence services for a monetary reward. The court sentenced him to 16 years in prison under a treason case.

Gyulmira Aslanova has suggested that her husband is persecuted on trumped-up charges due to his publications about extortions by law enforcers.