The Office of the Ombudsman Confirmed the Hunger Strike of Polad Aslanov

Baku/08.02.21/Turan: Representatives of the ombudsman's office visited Baku  ore-trial detention center N1, where they met with the convicted founder of the website xeberman.com, Polad Aslanov.

A representative of the ombudsman's office confirmed to Turan that Polad Aslanov was on a hunger strike. At the same time, the department noted that Aslanov's condition is normal, he moves freely, but he complains about the unfair verdict of the Baku Serious Crimes Court.

Polad Aslanov remains in an ordinary cell and is not isolated from other prisoners. According to a representative of the ombudsman's office, there is medical observation over Aslanov.

In turn, his wife Gyulmira Aslanova reported on today's call from Polad Aslanov from the pre-trial detention center. Her husband said that Polad’s health is generally normal, but there are pains in the kidneys. He stated that he would continue the action until a fair hearing of the appeal was secured.

* On November 16, the founder of the site xeberman.com, Polad Aslanov, was found guilty of espionage for Iran by the court and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The state prosecutor asked to be sentenced to 17 years.

Aslanov was arrested on June 12, 2019 and charged under Article 274 of the Criminal Code (treason). The investigation claims that Aslanov recruited fellow journalists and persuaded them to cooperate with the Iranian special services. Aslanov denied all charges, claiming that he was being prosecuted for exposing the facts of corruption on the part of intelligence officers. International organizations condemned his arrest, calling for the release of Aslanov.

On February 1, consideration of P. Aslanov's appeal began. During the meeting, he announced a hunger strike, demanding to ensure the objectivity of the process. -16B06-