Lachin Veliyev stopped his dry hunger strike in the colony on the 9th day

Activist Lachin Veliyev ended his dry hunger strike in colony number 10 on the 9th day, his relatives told Turan.

He made this decision after the colony leadership assured him on June 2 that on Wednesday he would be sent to a medical facility of the penitentiary service.

This was one of his requirements due to his kidney disease.

As for the second requirement - permission to issue a power of attorney to the wife to receive compensation appointed by the ECHR, Veliyev was also promised a solution to this issue in the coming days.

The Prison Service could not be reached for comment.

*Veliyev was arrested in March 2021 on charges of ‘large-scale drug trafficking’. Subsequently, he was also charged with ‘fraud’ and sentenced to 7.5 years of imprisonment.

According to human rights activists, the real reason for Veliyev's arrest is his opposition activities. In the past he was a member of the Musavat Party and later a supporter of the Party of People's Front of Azerbaijan.

Veliyev was detained after street rallies on 15 July 2020 in Baku. In September 2023, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Veliyev's pre-trial detention was unlawful and ordered him to pay compensation of €3,500.

Worthy of note is that the government itself unilaterally recognised the violation of Veliyev's rights, expressing its willingness to compensate him for moral damages.