Zahid Oruj on Saleh Rustamov's hunger strike

Baku/29.11.21/Turan: "In connection with Saleh Rustamov, we received appeals from various organizations, representatives of the third sector," the head of the parliamentary human rights committee Zahida Oruj told Turan, commenting on Rustamov's hunger strike. He believes that this hunger strike has turned into a "political campaign", "an attempt to discredit the Amnesty Act" with the aim of criticizing Azerbaijan in the reports of international organizations.

“Initially, it would be possible to conduct discussions with the relevant state bodies, taking into account the fact that his actions were not directed against the state and the individual. As the chairman of the committee, I can say that we will hold such discussions in connection with the appeals to us.

The main thing for us is not to take an individual issue beyond the borders of the country, not to turn it into a weapon of external pressure, ”Oruj said.

* A supporter of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, Saleh Rustamov, was arrested in May 2018 and sentenced to 7 years 3 months in prison in the so-called case of “illegal financing of the Popular Front Party”. Human rights activists recognized him as a political prisoner. Subsequently, the Supreme Court reduced the sentence by 2 months. Since November 6, he has been on an indefinite hunger strike demanding his release. -03В06-