U.S. Renews Call For Bakhtiyar Hajiyev’s Expeditious Release 

“We are deeply troubled that Azerbaijani activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev has remained in detention since the eve of International Human Rights Day, last December, and that he continues to face charges widely understood as politically motivated,” State Department’s spokesperson Ned Price said Saturday morning in a statement, TURAN’s Washington correspondent reports. 

Mr. Hajiyev, who is on a hunger strike, is suffering from a severe deterioration in his health and risks going into a coma, according to an independent physician, Price noted.  

“The United States calls for Mr. Hajiyev’s expeditious release and for the release of all persons incarcerated for exercising their fundamental freedoms,” reads the statement.

He went on to add, “The United States is strongly committed to advancing respect for human rights, supporting human rights defenders, and holding accountable those who commit human rights abuses.  We encourage all steps toward systemic reforms, especially those regarding the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, in Azerbaijan and around the world.”

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.