23:59, 8 September 2020

Activists demand to release Tofig Yagublu

Tofig Yagublu. Photo by Aziz Karimov for the "Caucasian Knot"

Ten female activists held an action in support of Azerbaijani oppositionist Tofig Yagublu, who was sentenced to four years of imprisonment. For their protest action, the activists dressed themselves as the goddesses of justice with their hands tied. For the seventh day, Tofig Yagublu has been continuing the hunger strike in protest against his conviction. However, he has not yet been transferred to a medical ward.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 2, Tofig Yagublu, a member of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) and the "Musavat" Party, claimed the biased attitude of the court in his case on disorderly conduct and went on hunger strike. On the other day, the court sentenced Tofig Yagublu to four years and three months of imprisonment. Tofig Yagublu has lost a lot of weight and expresses difficulties while walking, his advocate reports.

The "Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe" considered the arrest of Tofig Yagublu as part of the repression campaign against the opposition. The human rights organizations "Human Rights Watch" (HRW) and "Amnesty International" (AI), which recognized Tofig Yagublu as a political prisoner, condemned his conviction.

"We want to live in a free, fair, and democratic society. However, this is impossible under the current power," declared a female protester at a rally in Baku.

According to Nigyar Khazi, a daughter of the sentenced politician, his condition is deteriorating.

Advocate Nemat Kerimli emphasizes that Tofig Yagublu refuses to stop his hunger strike.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 8, 2020 at 07:38 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Faik Medjid

Source: CK correspondent