His Wife, Human Rights Activists Urge Polad Aslanov to End Hunger Strike

Baku / 10.08.20 / Turan: The wife of the editor of the Heberman.com website Polad Aslanov, who is being held in Baku Detention Center No. 1, Gulmira Aslanova called on him to end the hunger strike.

“Polad has been on a hunger strike for the sixth day in protest against the biased investigation and the rejection of the defense's petitions by the court,” his spouse writes in an appeal to the head of the Penitentiary Service and Baku Detention Center No. 1.

 Noting that she cannot get information about her husband's condition, she calls on the addressees to bring her appeal to Polad.

“A hunger strike of a person weighing 45 kg, suffering from a cardiovascular disease, is tantamount to death. A hunger strike weakens the immune system, which is especially dangerous in the pandemic,” writes Aslanova, who also informed the Ombudsman and the Baku office of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

  In turn, the Committee against Repression and Torture also called on Aslanov to end the hunger strike. Expressing its conviction that Aslanov is being persecuted for his professional activities, the Committee urged him to end his hunger strike due to health problems.

* Polad Aslanov was detained on June 12, 2019 and arrested for 4 months on charges under Art. 274 (treason) of the Criminal Code. The investigation is being conducted by the State Security Service. On October 5, the arrest period was extended for another 4 months. He is accused of recruiting other journalists to cooperate with the Iranian special services.

In December, he was charged with another charge under Art. 134 (threat of murder or grievous bodily harm) of the Criminal Code. However, on February 10, Dayanat Babayev, who was recognized as a victim under this article, refused the complaint.   -06B-