Hunger Strike Causes Shock for Polad Aslanov

Polad Aslanov

Journalist Polad Aslanov suffered a shock as a result of a prolonged hunger strike while in prison.

His wife, Gulmira Aslanova, reported this on her Facebook page.

She wrote that the journalist fell into a state of shock at around 2 a.m. on September 8 at Correctional Facility No. 15, where he is being held.

"Polad was shaking badly, he couldn't feel his legs, and couldn't wake up. He lay helpless in bed for several minutes," Aslanova noted.

She reported that her husband is continuing his hunger strike and that a statement with his demands has still not been accepted by the head of the facility, Ramig Nasibov.

P. Aslanov began his hunger strike on August 29 after he was not allowed to use the kitchen at the medical center of Correctional Facility No. 15, where he is being held.

According to Aslanova, her husband is demanding the results of an ultrasound examination that he underwent on July 18.

The head of the website xeberman.com, Polad Aslanov, was arrested in 2019 on charges of espionage and was subsequently sentenced to 13 years in prison. He denies the charges and states that he is being persecuted for exposing corruption in the security services.

Human rights activists consider Aslanov a political prisoner. The European Court of Human Rights has deemed Aslanov's arrest unlawful.