Imran Aliyev
Journalist Imran Aliyev, held in the 1st Kurdakhany Detention Center near Baku, ended his hunger strike yesterday, which he had begun on November 18. The head of the website Məclis.info, Aliyev was protesting to demand his release, asserting that there was no criminal offense in his actions.
In a phone call with his parents, Aliyev stated that he had voluntarily decided to end the hunger strike due to his worsening health. The journalist suffers from a spinal hernia, and his tall stature prevents him from fitting comfortably on the prison bed, exacerbating his back pain. "No pressure was applied to Imran in the detention center; he made the decision to end the hunger strike on his own, voluntarily," his friend Elgiz Gahraman told Turan.
Aliyev calls home or Gahraman twice a week and has not complained about the treatment he has received from the detention center staff. The Penitentiary Service did not respond to Turan's inquiries about Aliyev’s hunger strike.
Aliyev was detained on April 18 following reports in pro-government media that linked him to cases against employees of Abzas Media and Toplum.TV. The head of the online platform Məclis.info was accused of foreign currency smuggling, similar to charges brought against employees of Abzas Media. Aliyev’s relatives reported that he denies the charges and was forced to confess under torture involving an electric shock device. Aliyev claimed he was beaten again after information about the torture was made public. On April 26, an additional charge was brought against Aliyev, accusing him under Article 206.3.1 (repeated smuggling) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, adding to the initial charge under Article 206.3.2 (smuggling committed by a group of individuals). In June, a Baku court extended Aliyev’s pretrial detention.
Human rights organizations have recognized Imran Aliyev as a political prisoner.
On November 7, a hearing was held at the Khatai District Court of Baku to consider a motion to change Aliyev’s detention measure and place him under house arrest. However, Aliyev was not brought to court and participated in the hearing online from the detention center, according to his relatives.
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