Aygun Humbatova Appeals to President Over Children’s Dire Situation

The wife of political prisoner and Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (AXCP) activist Aqil Humbatov, Aygun Humbatova, has made an open appeal to President Ilham Aliyev via social media (Facebook), urging him to address her family's deteriorating living conditions. A mother of three, she highlighted the severe hardship her family faces in an interview with Turan.

“They come when they need to frame my husband,” Humbatova stated. “Let the head of the Khazar district executive authority come and see the state his citizens are living in.”

She explained that she needs to enroll one of her children in preparatory classes but cannot afford the daily transportation costs. “How can I manage it? The cost of transportation, taxi fares—it's outrageous. Education in this country is practically nonexistent,” she lamented.

“I am the wife of a political prisoner. Why should I be forced to live in misery and hardship?” she continued. “Ilham Aliyev, you have falsely accused my husband, Aqil Humbatov. My children are suffering in damp, mold-infested conditions. How old are they that they are already battling rheumatism? Mr. President, my demands are directed solely at you, and I am right in making them. I demand justice, and I will continue to demand it,” Humbatova wrote.

AXCP activist Aqil Humbatov was arrested on August 11, 2021, and in November of the same year, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Baku Court of Grave Crimes. He was convicted of deliberately causing serious bodily harm in a manner endangering public safety, allegedly with hooligan intent. The AXCP has declared the charges to be fabricated.

Aygun Humbatova has repeatedly held protest pickets in front of government institutions, demanding her husband's release and state assistance for her children.