21 September 2019, 11:30
Azerbaijani journalist Ragimov announces new hunger strike in jail
The imprisoned Ikram Ragimov, the editor of the "Realliq.info" website, has announced resumption of his hunger strike, demanding his complete acquittal. However, the Azerbaijani Penitentiary Service has objected claiming that the journalist is taking food.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 12, a Baku court found Ragimov guilty of extortion and sentenced him to 5.5 years in prison. On August 7, he went on a hunger strike, demanding an objective consideration of his appeal. On the 29th day of the hunger strike, Ragimov felt that his kidneys were failing, his cousin said. On September 5, Ragimov stopped his protest action. On September 18, the court reduced Ragimov's prison term down to three years.
"On September 18, I began a dry hunger strike demanding my complete acquittal. They promised me to objectively consider my case in the Baku Court of Appeal (BCA); and for this reason I stopped the hunger strike. However, the BCA has only reduced my prison term, finding me guilty of the crimes I never committed," says the audio record of Ragimov's statement, presented by his cousin, Galib Gasanov.
The "Freedom House", an international human rights organization, has condemned Ragimov's persecution.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 20, 2019 at 04:06 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medjid Source: CK correspondent
