Yagublu refused to end his hunger strike despite significant weight loss

Since beginning his hunger strike in a Baku pretrial detention center, opposition politician Tofig Yagublu has lost 10 kilograms (22 pounds) and his blood pressure has dropped sharply. However, Yagublu intends to continue his hunger strike.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Azerbaijani opposition politician Tofig Yagublu has been placed in solitary confinement. The politician's daughter attributes the punishment to her brother's participation in a protest in Washington, D.C., outside the hotel where the Azerbaijani president was staying. In protest, Yagublu went on a hunger strike. On March 2, his relatives reported that his health had noticeably worsened.

Tofig Yagublu continues his hunger strike in Baku's Pretrial Detention Center No. 1, which he began on February 23, the politician's daughter, Nigar Hazi, told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

According to her, Yagublu's lawyer, Nemat Karimli, visited him in the pretrial detention center on March 10. "The lawyer informed us that medical personnel examined my father on March 9 and 10. It turned out that during the 15 days of his hunger strike, my father lost 10 kg, and his blood pressure dropped to 60/90. My father's voice sounded weak, and his face darkened," Hazi said.

She noted that Yagublu was experiencing severe headaches and body aches. "This is my father's fifth hunger strike in recent years. All of them were lengthy and resulted in my father's hospitalization, but we were still able to persuade him to end the hunger strike. This time, he is relentless. My father demands justice, rehabilitation, and his release from prison," noted Hazi.

Kerimli's lawyer confirmed the politician's daughter's claims of losing 10 kg (22 lbs), a drop in blood pressure to 60/90, and Yagublu's complaints of headaches and dizziness. A "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was asked to obtain comment from the Penitentiary Service.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on May 10, 2025, at the request of his family, Yagublu agreed to end his 40-day hunger strike, which he had been conducting in protest of his nine-year sentence for fraud. The politician's repeated hunger strikes are described in a biographical note posted on the "Caucasian Knot."