Polad Aslanov launched a hunger strike in the colony

Baku/13.07.21/Turan: Currently in colony #1, founder and editor of the website "Xeberman.com", Polad Aslanov launched a hunger strike on July 12 protesting against pressures he underwent. His wife Gulmira Aslanova told Turan.

In her words, "the administration of the colony incites other prisoners against him."
"Owing to the pandemic, no contacts between prisoners and their loved are permitted. However, those who pay a bribe are allowed to have long-term and short-term meetings. Those who have no money are protesting against this. One of the prisoners went on a hunger strike because of this. The management of the colony believes that it is Polad who instigates them, so they put pressure on him to persuade him to stop the hunger strike. In the end, this prisoner was forced to write a statement that money no money has been extorted from him but punished him due to conflict with a warden," Gulmira Aslanova said.

Note for several days on, the water has been turned off in the colony allegedly due to a breakdown of the pumps, she continued. At the same time, the prisoners are told that the water has been turned off because of a dispute.

In turn, the department of public relations of the penitentiary service stated that the information about Aslanov's hunger strike, pressures on him and extortion of money from prisoners were contrary to the truth.

"There are no pressure on Polad Aslanov. He and all other must comply with internal regulations," a representative of the department said.

It is worth noting that Polad Aslanov had previously declared a hunger strike as well, when the Court of Appeal in February rejected his complaint about an unfair decision of the court of first instance.

It should be remembered that Aslanov had been sentenced on November 16, 2019 to 16 years of imprisonment on charges of treason in favor of Iran. He denied the accusation as saying that he had been punished for publishing materials about corruption in law enforcement structures.
Note that "Reporters Sans Frontieres" and other human rights protection organizations have called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release Polad Aslanov.-06B-