Activist Saleh Rustamov has been denied exit from Azerbaijan.

Former Azerbaijani political prisoner Saleh Rustamov was not allowed to leave Azerbaijan. The reasons for the ban were not explained to him.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Russian citizen and activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Saleh Rustamov was sentenced to seven years and three months in prison on February 27, 2021. According to investigators, he collected monthly funds from Azerbaijani citizens doing business in Russia to support the PFPA. The Supreme Court of Azerbaijan later reduced his sentence by two months. On November 6, 2021, Rustamov went on a hunger strike to protest his exclusion from amnesty. On the 38th day, Rustamov refused water, going on a dry hunger strike. His condition then sharply worsened. He ended his hunger strike on December 16, 2021. Rustamov's situation has sparked widespread attention, including outside of Azerbaijan. Details of Rustamov's case and the public reaction to his hunger strike are collected in the "Caucasian Knot" report "Saleh Rustamov: Torture and Prison for Helping Political Prisoners".

On November 18, former Azerbaijani political prisoner Saleh Rustamov was unable to leave Azerbaijan, his relatives told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"After his release from prison, Saleh Rustamov left Azerbaijan and lived abroad. However, he recently arrived in Baku to attend the funeral of his deceased niece. Saleh was planning to return from Baku. However, at the Baku airport, he was told that he was banned from leaving the country. The reasons were not explained. Today, Saleh contacted the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs hotline for clarification. But he has not yet received a response," his relative said.

The information about Rustamov being banned from leaving Azerbaijan was confirmed by another relative. Rustamov himself could not be reached.