Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov goes on hunger strike in penal colony

Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov went on a hunger strike to protest against the pressure on him and extortion of money in a penal colony. According to his spouse, the convicted journalist also urged diplomats to visit him.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on November 16, 2020, the court sentenced Polad Aslanov, the editor-in-chief of the websites “Xeberman.com” and “Press-az.com”, to 16 years of imprisonment in a case on high treason. On February 1, the journalist went on a hunger strike with the demand to carry out a fair trial and transfer him under house arrest. However the court of appeal upheld the verdict.

Polad Aslanov shares a cell with 17 inmates and is under pressure, his wife reports. According to the woman, it all started with a protest against extortion of money in the penal colony. Furthermore, the husband told her that the penal colony had been cut off the water supply for a week because of the breakdown of pumps. Moreover, prisoners are given unsuitable water and “made think that it is because of Polad Aslanov that they are being punished in such a way.”

“That causes a negative attitude towards Polad on the part of inmates. At any moment there can be a provocation against him,” the journalist’s wife suggested.

She has also added that her husband is regularly deprived of phone calls.

The Public Relations Department of the Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan denied the information about the hunger strike of Polad Aslanov, pressure on him, and extortion of money from prisoners.