Fazil Gasimov
Arrested economist Fazil Gasimov has reportedly faced pressure after protesting the interruption of a phone call with his family on November 16. "The phone call was cut off, and Fazil demanded that the connection be restored. Then, Jalal Alizadeh, a detention center officer, along with his colleagues, forcibly removed Fazil from the phone room in the medical unit of the facility, tearing his jacket and dragging him across the floor before throwing him into a cell.
The next morning, Alizadeh took Gasimov to the meeting room with his lawyer, and there, after binding his hands and feet, tried to shave his head. Fazil screamed for help. Prisoners and guards arrived in the room at that moment, and blood began to flow from his nose. Without providing assistance, Gasimov was returned to his cell. Fazil called for a doctor, but one never arrived, and the bleeding was not documented," a relative of Gasimov reported, citing a conversation with him at the detention center on November 22.
The following day, Gasimov's petitions, which he had written, were taken from him, and using force, he was transferred from the medical unit to the main detention center. According to the relative, Fazil Gasimov has been on a hunger strike for 165 days in protest of his illegal arrest. He is only consuming liquids, sometimes mixed with honey. In the past week, he has started taking small amounts of yogurt.
The Penitentiary Service claims that all prisoners' rights are strictly observed, and medical supervision of detainees' health is maintained.
*Fazil Gasimov was arrested in Istanbul on August 8, 2023, and transferred to Azerbaijan. He is accused of producing counterfeit money along with prominent economist and government critic Gubad Ibadoglu. However, Gasimov's criminal case is being considered separately from Ibadoglu's case. While in detention, Gasimov declared a hunger strike to protest his unlawful arrest.
Politics
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On 28 December, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
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On December 28 president of Ukrain called to the president of Azerbaijan İlham Aliyev.
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The preliminary investigation into the case of Russian oligarch and former "state minister" of the separatist regime of Nagorno-Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan, has been completed. According to a joint statement by the Prosecutor General's Office and the State Security Service of Azerbaijan, Vardanyan has been charged under the following articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code: Article 100 (planning or waging aggressive war), Article 107 (deportation or coercion of the population), Article 109 (persecution), Article 112 (deprivation of liberty in violation of international law), Article 113 (torture), Article 114 (mercenary activities), Article 115 (violating laws and customs of war), Article 116 (violating laws and customs of war), Article 214 (terrorism), Article 214-1 (financing terrorism), Article 218 (organization of a criminal community), Article 228 (illegal trafficking in weapons), Article 270-1 (creating threats to aviation safety), Article 278 (violent seizure of power or violent retention of power, violent change of the constitutional order of the state), Article 279 (creation of illegal armed formations), Article 318 (illegal crossing of the Azerbaijani state border).
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On December 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, as reported by the Kremlin's press service. During the conversation, the issues related to the crash of the AZAL passenger plane on December 25 near the city of Aktau were discussed in detail. "Vladimir Putin expressed his apologies for the tragic incident occurring in Russian airspace and once again conveyed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured," the statement emphasized.
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