Father of Mehman Huseynov was not allowed to meet with his son in jail

Baku/01.01.19/Turan: On 1 January Rafig Huseynov, the father of blogger Mehman Huseynov, was not allowed to meet with Mehman in the pre-trial detention center -1, Rafig Huseynov himself told Turan about this. He said that his son was taken to the pre-trial detention center -1only three days ago - he is on "quarantine" and therefore the date is impossible. According to R. Huseynov, the blogger called the day before and asked for warm clothes and other things. The clothes and other things brought by R. Huseynov were accepted for transfer to the blogger. At the same time, R. Huseynov was not given any information about the health of his son. "But when Mehman called yesterday, he said that his health was bad and that he was given injections. Mehman continues his hunger strike. I again insistently asked him to drink water," R. Huseynov said.

However, the Prison Service denies the blogger of the hunger strike. "Mehman Huseynov takes food and water. He has no health problems. Huseynov regularly meets with a lawyer. In accordance with the law, he uses the right to telephone conversations," Mehman Sadigov, head of the public relations department of the Prison Service, said on January 1, responding to a request from the Azerbaijani service of Voice of America. However, lawyers Shahla Gumbatova and Fuad Agayev said that after December 28 they had neither a meeting with Huseynov nor a telephone conversation.

* Mehman Huseynov was arrested in March 2017 and sentenced to 2 years in prison under a libel suit filed by the head of the Nasimi police. On December 26, a new charge was brought against him on beating a jail employee, and he was placed to the punishment cell. In protest, he went on a dry hunger strike. Human rights activists are convinced that Huseynov is being persecuted for exposing corruption among high-ranking officials, as well as criticizing the authorities. -06B ---