Human rights defenders alarmed by condition of Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadygov

Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadygov, who was arrested in Tbilisi, stays in severe condition. He regularly loses consciousness and does not receive the necessary nutritional supplements.

On February 4, Afghan Sadygov, the head of the Azerbaijani “Azel.TV” website, lost consciousness in a pre-trial prison. Medical officers claim that further hunger strike is dangerous for the journalist’s life. On February 6, Afghan Sadygov agreed to stop the dry hunger strike, but continued to refuse food.

Lawyers from the “Centre for Social Justice” NGO have reported that the journalist “still does not receive nutritional supplements, which are essential for maintaining his health,” and does not receive water, although he had previously agreed to take it.

“Afghan stays in severe condition. He has been on the hunger strike for 143 days in protest (...) On February 6, he drank water, and he accepted even water with difficulty. Today, I was begging him to stop his dry hunger strike, because his condition is severe. Afghan promised me that he would drink water starting from today,” Sevindj Sadygova, a journalist’s spouse, wrote on Facebook*.

*On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.