Ombudsman's office confirms Emin Sagiev's hunger strike

Baku / 02.09.20 / Turan: On September 2, members of the National Preventive Group (NPG) under the Ombudsman conducted monitoring in jails NN 6 and 17 without prior notification.

According to a press release, in colony number 6, they met in confidential atmosphere with a number of prisoners, including Emin Sagiev, who is on a long hunger strike.

“He said that he took this step, disagreeing with the verdict against him,” the message says.

In jail N 17, representatives of the Ombudsman met with Vahid Aliyev, who is also on a hunger strike, demanding a transfer to another institution.

The members of the NPG, having explained the rights of the indicated convicts, recommended that they restore food intake, and the jail leadership place them in a medical unit under the supervision of doctors.

In turn, Sagiyev's wife confirmed the visit of the Ombudsman's representatives to the Turan news agency and said that her husband had not stopped the hunger strike, which began on 18 August.

Sagiev's condition worsened, he has low blood pressure, pain in the heart and kidneys, said his wife.

Sagiev was arrested in November 2017, and in 2018 he was sentenced to 7 years on charges of drug trafficking on a large scale. However, local human rights activists are convinced that Sagiyev was punished for his journalistic activities by his brother-in-law, the political emigrant Turkel Azerturk. The latter has been living in Europe for several years and has sharply criticized the Azerbaijani authorities on the "Azerbaijan Saaty" Internet resource.

 Sagiyev went on a hunger strike after the country's Supreme Court dismissed his appeal against the verdict. The defense intends to file a complaint with the ECHR.-06В-