Convicted ex-MP and his mother are on hunger strike

Ex-MP and businessman Huseyn Abdullayev, who is in prison, has been on a hunger strike since June 3. He is protesting against a new charge against him after serving a 6-year prison sentence. Since June 4, his 76-year-old mother, Zeynab Abdullayeva, joined the hunger strike in support of her son, but due to the deterioration of her health condition, the woman was hospitalized, lawyer Javad Javadov said.

According to him, H.Abdullayev officially notified the leadership of the Baku pre-trial detention center-1 about his hunger strike. Despite the deterioration of his health condition, Abdullayev intends to hold a hunger strike until the end.

Recall that Abdullayev is protesting against the failure of the Azerbaijani government to comply with the decision of the UN working group on arbitrary arrests on his immediate release. The Penitentiary Service does not comment on reports of Abdullayev's hunger strike.

*Huseyn Abdullayev held leading positions in the oil products business in the 90s. Groups of thugs controlled by him participated in the dispersal of opposition protests. In 2005, Abdullayev became a member of the Parliament and criticized the activities of the Cabinet of Ministers. In March 2007, at a meeting of the Parliament, Deputy Fazail Agamaly provoked Abdullayev into a fight. However, only Abdullayev was punished. He was first arrested, and later conditionally sentenced for hooliganism to 2 years of imprisonment.

In 2013, he emigrated from Azerbaijan. Some time later, a criminal case was opened against him for tax evasion. On April 22, 2018, Abdullayev was detained in Turkey, where he arrived from Germany and extradited to Azerbaijan. In Baku, he was charged under Articles 192.2.2 (illegal entrepreneurship with the extraction of large income), 178.2.1 (fraud), 178.2.2, 178.2.4 (fraud), 182.2.1 (extortion by threats by prior agreement of persons), 182.2.2 (the same actions committed repeatedly) and 182.2.4 (the same actions committed with the infliction of large damage to the victim damage). Criminal Code. He was subsequently sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment.

In August 2020, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Arrests decided to immediately release Abdullayev. 47 days before the end of his 6-year prison sentence, a new charge was brought against him in early March of this year. Now Abdullayev is accused of legalizing money obtained by criminal means (Article 193-1.3.2 of the Criminal Code).  In particular, he is accused of laundering 6 million manats from 2006 to 2014, although the investigation has already investigated his actions from 2000 to 2018.