Afghan Sadygov's wife holds protest against red tape with his complaint against verdict

Sevindj Sadygova has held a solo picket near the Baku Court of Appeal (BCA), demanding that the authorities react to the hunger strike of her husband – Afghan Sadygov, the head of the Azeri website "Azel.tv".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 14, the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) announced that Afghan was accused of extortion. Sadygov himself treated the charge as slander. On July 10, the journalist went on a hunger strike at the SIZO and stopped it five days later. On November 3, the court sentenced him to 7 years in prison; and on November 4, in protest, he went on a hunger strike again. On November 26, Sevindj Sadygova called his health condition critical after 23 days of hunger strike.

On November 27, Sevindj Sadygova held a solo picket in front of the BCA against the protraction with considering her husband's complaint against the verdict, and the absence of officials' reaction to his hunger strike. She came out with a poster "Freedom to Afghan Sadygov!"

"If he dies, the responsibility will fall on the authorities and hurt the country's image," she said live on the "Azad soz" Facebook page, accusing the BCA of protraction with the consideration of her husband's complaint.

"They don't care that during this time a person can fall into coma or die," she said, calling the case fabricated and blaming it on "investigators, prosecutors, the judge and the regime in general."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 27, 2020 at 10:10 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.