Reports indicate that Fazil Gasimov, a doctoral student at Istanbul University who was detained in Turkey and transferred to Azerbaijan in August 2023, has now been on hunger strike for 87 days. As a result of the ongoing hunger strike, Gasimov's weight has plummeted to 37 kilograms. His lawyer, Rovshan Ragimli, confirmed that Gasimov's condition is dire. Ragimli stated that Gasimov is no longer able to walk and now relies on a wheelchair.
Famil Khalilov, a public activist arrested on drug trafficking charges, has been on hunger strike for 26 days. Khalilov, who was born with cerebral palsy and has a disability of the first group, is also in a critical state.
Human rights activist Rufat Safarov, head of the "Defense Line" human rights organization, discussed the situation on the program "Complex Question." According to Safarov, the case against Fazil Gasimov is politically motivated. He alleges that Gasimov is being targeted to fabricate a case against Gubad Ibadoglu based on false accusations. The authorities, through torture, extracted false testimony from Gasimov against Ibadoglu.
Safarov also noted that Gasimov is being held in solitary confinement in a facility for life-sentenced prisoners. "He is suffering despite being dressed warmly for the weather, cannot drink, and is unable to walk without assistance," Safarov said. Gasimov is reportedly refusing to end his hunger strike as a protest against his unjust arrest and the torture he endured at the "Bandotdel" (Ministry of Internal Affairs' Organized Crime Department), and he demands the cessation of his criminal prosecution. Safarov fears that Gasimov may fall into a coma at any moment.
Regarding Family Khalilov, Safarov described his case as unprecedented. "To date, there has been no instance in Azerbaijan where a person with a first-group disability has faced politically motivated persecution and been forced to go on hunger strike. Yet now we are witnessing the authorities fabricating a case against a disabled person, turning him into a drug lord, and orchestrating attacks on him by fellow inmates in the penitentiary system," Safarov expressed his outrage. He also suggested that these developments are indicative of Azerbaijan's accelerating descent towards totalitarianism.
Difficult question
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Iran has criticized Russia for supporting Azerbaijan’s demand for unhindered access to the Nakhchivan enclave by opening the Zangezur transport corridor through Armenia. The criticism was contained in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran on September 2.
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The early parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan did not offer voters any political alternatives and were conducted with severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms and media activities, according to a joint statement by international observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, following the early elections to the Milli Majlis held on September 1.
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Preliminary results of the snap parliamentary elections held in Azerbaijan on September 1 have been announced. This was reported on September 2 by Mazahir Panahov, the chairman of the Central Election Commission (CEC).
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Less than two days remain until the early parliamentary elections. Today is the last day for campaigning and promotion. Is there a sense that an electoral process is taking place in the country?
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