Azerbaijani opposition leader Alizamin Salaev denied CER

The court dismissed a motion for conditional early relief (CER) filed by Alizamin Salaev, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), and the defence of the oppositionist will challenge the above court’s decision. Alizamin Salaev said that he was on hunger strike for the third day because of the lack of medical assistance.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Alizamin Salaev, who is serving the sentence on the charge of defamation and insult after posting on social media a video criticizing a policeman, complained about beatings at the penal colony after he declared a hunger strike in solidarity with Tofig Yagublu. On September 18, 2020, a son of the oppositionist announced that his father continued the hunger strike in protest against the oppression in the penal colony. On September 19, 2020, after an appeal to the Ombudsman, Alizamin Salaev was transferred to another penal colony. In February, relatives of Alizamin Salaev claimed that the activist’s health had deteriorated sharply, but he was not receiving any medical assistance.

The court dismissed the oppositionist’s defence motion for CER due to a negative letter from the penal colony. According to it, Alizamin Salaev “did not choose the right way” and “did not repent of what he had done.”

Azerbaijan’s authorities never recognize the fact of prisoners’ hunger strike at once, notes Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Monitoring Centre for Political Prisoners. “However, if a hunger strike continues and causes a wide public outcry, the authorities begin to meet the demands,” Elshan Gasanov emphasized.

Ali Kerimli, the leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, holds the Azerbaijan’s authorities liable for the life and health of Alizamin Salaev.