12:52, 17 October 2025

Convicted Azerbaijani activist achieves fulfillment of demands after hunger strike

The Penitentiary Service has relaxed the prison regime for Muslim Unity activist Jahad Babakishizade, who went on a hunger strike in protest against the restrictions on his rights.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, the Baku Court of Appeal today refused to uphold Babakishizade's appeal against the decision to transfer him to a prison with a higher security level.

On January 25, 2017, Jahad Babakishizade was sentenced to 14.5 years in prison in connection with the unrest in the Azerbaijani village of Nardaran. A total of 18 people were convicted in the Nardaran case, receiving sentences ranging from 10 to 20 years. [The sentence was already harsher for Jahad.] According to the court's decision, on August 30th, he was transferred from the penal colony to the closed section of the Umbaki penitentiary complex. After the so-called quarantine expired, he was told he could not call home, see his family, or receive packages for two months. He informed his family of this by phone on September 18th, stating that there would be no contact for two months. A week later, we learned from other religious prisoners that Jahad had been on a hunger strike since October 7th. For the last three days, as a result of his hunger strike, Jahad's condition had been extremely poor; he drank only water. "Jahad remained in the cell without medical supervision and was not given any assistance," Bunyadov said.

He added that Babakishizade's punishment had already been toughened once in 2018 and he was placed in the closed Gobustan prison.

According to him, MUSE leader Taleh Bagirzade, who is also in prison, appealed to the Penitentiary Service leadership on October 15 to have measures taken against Babakishizade. He warned that otherwise, other imprisoned activists of the movement would also join the hunger strike in protest. "The Penitentiary Service leadership responded to Babakishizade's hunger strike," Bunyadov said.

According to him, on October 16, Jahad Balaghuseyn Babakishizade's father was received by the head of the Penitentiary Service, Mirsaleh Seyidov, who promised to resolve the activist's problems. "Yesterday evening (October 16), Jahad called home and reported that the issues that prompted his protest had been resolved," Bunyadov said, adding that the activist was assured at the penitentiary complex that he would be granted visits and food supplies in accordance with the law.

The leader of the Muslim Unity movement, Taleh Bagirzade, and 17 of his supporters have been found guilty by a court of organizing unrest that began in the Baku village of Nardaran after a security force operation in November 2015. The result was the death of seven people, including two police officers. In its background article "Nardaran," the "Caucasian Knot" attempted to understand the current situation in the village, tracing the history of the conflict between secular authorities and religious figures, marked by protests, arrests, and bloody clashes.

The "Caucasian Knot" publishes news about cases of persecution of activists, human rights defenders, and journalists in the Caucasus regions on the thematic page "Persecution of Activists." The "Caucasian Knot" also prepared a background article "Persecution of Human Rights Defenders and Civil Activists in Azerbaijan."

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/416403