Trade union activist Elvin Mustafaev has declared a hunger strike.

Elvin Mustafaev, a trade union activist serving a sentence in correctional facility No. 17 of the Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan, has been placed in a punishment cell; he has declared a hunger strike in protest against this decision. The actions of the correctional facility's administration are aimed at extending Mustafaev's prison term, his relatives believe.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", a court in Baku previously partially satisfied the request of the correctional facility's management and ruled to send Elvin Mustafaev to a closed prison for six months. The activist stated in court that he was framed in order to achieve a harsher punishment. In June, Mustafaev faced threats from the correctional facility's management of opening a new criminal case against him to delay his release from custody.

According to Ali Mustafaev, his son was placed in a punishment cell on June 30 and declared a hunger strike in protest against this.

"We only managed to find out that Elvin was placed in a punishment cell and that he declared a hunger strike in protest against this unjust punishment. We do not know the reasons for Elvin's placement in the punishment cell. There are 34 days left until my son's prison sentence ends. I believe that the placement in the punishment cell aims to create grounds for extending his sentence. A month ago, the deputy head of the colony threatened Elvin with new punishment so that he could not be released," said Ali Mustafaev to a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

A Baku lawyer specializing in criminal law emphasized that the mere placement in a punishment cell cannot be grounds for extending the arrest term.

"However, it is theoretically possible for an initial disciplinary punishment of the accused, say formally for a fight, and then based on the results of the 'investigation' by law enforcement to open a new criminal case. I hope it does not come to that," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity.

Previously, another lawyer specializing in the protection of the rights of arrested activists and journalists pointed out precedents when in Azerbaijan "new cases were opened in politically motivated cases shortly before their terms ended to extend imprisonment."

"There have been many such cases in Azerbaijan. In the past, new cases were literally initiated just weeks or months before the release of blogger Mehman Huseynov, former health minister Ali Insanov, ex-deputy Gusein Abdullayev, and oppositionist Mamed Ibrahim. Usually, methods such as instigation of 'violence against a guard' or planting a prohibited item, for example, a knife, are used as a pretext for opening a new case. By the way, Abullayev is still in prison on a new case, and Mamed Ibrahim found himself in custody again in November 2025," said a lawyer who wished to remain anonymous in a conversation with a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

It was not possible to obtain comments from the Penitentiary Service.