Niyameddin Ahmedov is on a hunger strike

Baku/24.03.22/Turan: An activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), Niyameddin Ahmedov, who was imprisoned, went on a hunger strike, after which he was imprisoned in a punishment cell, the PFPA reported.

Amedov was recently transferred from the pre-trial detention center to  Jail No. 12 following the decision of the Court of Appeal against him. 

Here he was discriminated against, the party said.

“The quality of food in the jail is very low, and food is not given in a timely manner. Many prisoners cook on an electric stove using food delivered from home. When Ahmedov asked for a refrigerator for food storage and an electric stove for cooking, they demanded a lot of money from him. As a sign of protest, Ahmedov went on a hunger strike on March 23 and wrote a statement about it. Immediately after that, he was put in a punishment cell,” the PFPA said.

The Prison Service could not be reached for comment.

Ahmedov, being a member of the PFPA, was also on a voluntary basis the bodyguard of party leader Ali Karimli. Ali Karimli was detained on April 16, 2020 on charges of violating the quarantine regime and resisting the police and was arrested for 30 days.

He was later charged with financing terrorism, citing the receipt of money from abroad as the reason. While under arrest, Ahmedov was tortured in order to force him to testify against the leader of the party. However, he did not testify.

On October 8, 2021, the court sentenced him to 13 years in prison. On March 2, the Baku Court of Appeal upheld the verdict. 

Human rights activists recognized Ahmedov as a political prisoner.—16B06-