Bakhtiyar Hajiyev went on hunger strike

Baku/06.10.23/Turan: The detained public activist and human rights defender Bakhtiyar Hajiyev has declared an indefinite hunger strike, his lawyer Elchin Sadygov told Turan. According to him, Hajiyev has been on hunger strike since October 2 in protest against the illegal extension of his arrest.

"His health has worsened. During the five days of the hunger strike, a doctor visited him twice," the lawyer said. According to him, Hajiyev said that he would continue his hunger strike until the decision to extend the arrest was canceled. However, the Baku Court of Appeal rejected the appeal against the extension of the arrest. The lawyer also said that Hajiyev was forcibly taken to court.

"He had bruises on his little finger and hands. These are the traces of his forcible bringing to court. He wrote a statement in advance that he did not want to go to court. Nevertheless, he was forcibly brought to the trial," the lawyer noted. On October 2, the Khatai District Court extended the term of Hajiyev's arrest for another 3 months. The defense considered this decision illegal.

This point of view is shared by human rights activist, director of the organization "Line of Defense" Rufat Safarov. According to him, Hajiyev was initially charged with a less serious crime, and then with serious crimes. According to article 218.10.3 of the CPC, the preliminary investigation in a case of a serious crime cannot be longer than 13 months. This deadline expires on October 28, as the investigation was launched even before the arrest of Hajiyev, who was taken into custody in December 2022.

The Prosecutor General extended the preliminary investigation until January 28, 2024, that is, the investigation was extended to 16 months, Safarov said. On the other hand, the deadline for the detention of the accused is 13 months.

Given that Hajiyev was detained on December 9, 2022, then 13 months expire on January 9, 2024, and from this point of view, the extension of the investigation period is also illegal, Hajiyev said. "All this once again confirms that the case against Hajiyev is not a legal process. He is a political hostage," Safarov said.

*Bakhtiar Hajiyev was arrested on December 9, 2022 on charges of hooliganism and contempt of court. On December 15, Hajiyev began a hunger strike demanding his release and stopped it on December 28 after persistent appeals from members of the public. On January 9, he resumed his hunger strike when the Baku Court of Appeal rejected his request for release. Hajiyev stopped his hunger strike on the 51st day of the hunger strike.

On June 16 of this year, the investigative body charged Bakhtiyar Hajiyev under Articles 192 (Illegal entrepreneurship), 193 (False entrepreneurship), 320.1 (For the purpose of using a license or other official document granting rights or releasing from duties) The Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Criminal Code. falsification), 320.2 (deliberate use of forged documents), 206.1 (smuggling) and new charges have been brought.

The new charges are based on the claim that Bakhtiar Hajiyev received grants and did not spend them for their intended purpose. Representatives of the US State Department, the US Helsinki Commission, the European Union, the Council of Europe and a number of international NGOs have repeatedly demanded the release of Bakhtiar Hajiyev from prison. -03d06-