The wife of the hunger-striking Azerbaijani journalist stated that her husband is not receiving medical assistance.

Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov, who continues his hunger strike in a medical facility of the Penitentiary Service, is not receiving medical assistance and is being held in solitary confinement, his wife Gulmira Aslanova reported.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on October 8, the convicted editor-in-chief of the online publications Xeberman.com and Press-az.com, Polad Aslanov, declared a hunger strike in colony No. 15 in protest against the violation of the rights of schoolgirls, including his daughter, and female teachers wearing hijabs. He believes that the dress code restrictions violate Article 48 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, which guarantees freedom of conscience. At the same time, Aslanov's 13-year-old daughter refused to comply with the ban on wearing hijabs at school despite pressure from teachers. Authorities threatened her mother with imprisonment for supporting protests against the school dress code. On October 20, Aslanov was hospitalized in a medical facility of the Penitentiary Service.

Despite being hospitalized, journalist Polad Aslanov, who is on a hunger strike in the medical facility of the Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan, is not receiving any medical assistance, his wife reported to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot".

"For a whole week, I could not get information from the penitentiary service and the ombudsman's office about my husband's whereabouts, because unofficially, I learned that he was transferred from colony number 15 to another place of detention. On October 20, again from unofficial sources, I learned that Polad was transferred to the medical facility of the penitentiary service and placed in a punishment cell," Gulmira Aslanova said.

On October 21, she went to the medical facility of the penitentiary service to find out her husband's condition.

"I was not allowed to meet him. After lengthy disputes, we were finally allowed to talk to Polad on the phone. The conversation lasted 9 minutes. Polad said that he and another believer on hunger strike, Zeynal Bayramov, were brought to the medical facility last Thursday. They were placed in separate solitary cells. There is no medical supervision over them. When I asked Polad what the conditions were like, he said, 'I'll tell you later.' I understood that he was speaking under the supervision of the guards. I replied that 'I understood you, the conditions are not good,' and he said 'yes.' I also informed him about the latest events in the country, the continuation of the ban on hijabs in schools," Gulmira Aslanova reported.

She noted that her husband is in informational isolation. "Polad has even had the books he brought from the colony taken away," said the journalist's wife.

"Polad has been on a hunger strike for almost two weeks with a short break. This is already affecting his health. His voice sounded very weak. He often asked me to repeat what I said," Gulmira Aslanova said.

It should be noted that on November 16, 2020, the court sentenced Polad Aslanov to 16 years in prison, finding him guilty of treason. The journalist's appeal was not granted, and the cassation court reduced his sentence by three years, to 13 years in prison. The convicted man's wife believes that her husband is being persecuted for covering human rights violations and the cases of political prisoners. International journalist organizations have called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release Aslanov.