Polad Aslanov ended his hunger strike after a sharp deterioration in his condition.
Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov ended his hunger strike due to a sharp deterioration in his condition; the protest lasted 20 days, his wife Gulmira Aslanova reported. Doctors convinced the prisoner to resume eating amid serious health threats.
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 teachers wearing hijabs. He believes that the dress code restrictions violate Article 48 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, which guarantees freedom of conscience. On October 20, Aslanov was hospitalized in a medical facility of the Penitentiary Service, but there he did not receive medical assistance, his wife stated. By October 26, Aslanov's weight had dropped to 43 kilograms, and the doctor warned him of the risk of coma. On October 29, the journalist's wife was denied a personal meeting with her husband.
Since October 12, school leaders in Azerbaijan have not allowed teachers and schoolgirls who refused to remove their hijabs to attend classes. Around several schools in Baku, students and teachers held lessons in the street in protest. On October 13, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported the detention of 37 protest participants, while activists claimed that more than 200 were detained. Aslanov's 13-year-old daughter refused to comply with the ban on wearing hijabs at school despite pressure from teachers, and law enforcement threatened her mother with imprisonment for supporting protests against the school dress code.
Polad Aslanov ended his hunger strike on October 31, but was only able to inform his family today, his wife told a correspondent from “Caucasian Knot.”
“Today, Polad was allowed to call me. On the 20th day, he ended his hunger strike due to a sharp deterioration in his health. Polad said that his blood pressure dropped to 80 over 50. He began to experience cloudiness in his eyes and severe ear pain. He lost 11 kg and now weighs only 41 kg. Doctors strongly recommended that he end the hunger strike because he could fall into a coma at any moment and remain paralyzed for life. As a result, on October 31, he ended the hunger strike,” – said Gulmira Aslanova.
She added that along with Aslanov, two other believers, Zeynal Bayramov and Fuad Aleskerov, also ended their hunger strike. All of them are still being held separately in solitary cells of the Penitentiary Service's Medical Facility.
“Polad is still in this cell until he is transferred to a ward. But he was told that he would be kept in the Medical Facility for some time. Polad said that recently medical staff have been visiting him periodically. But so far, there is no treatment. Polad said that today, November 2, he is supposed to have an electrocardiogram, and possibly after that, there will be some treatment,” – said Aslanova.
The woman also reported that traces of violence on her husband's body were recorded upon his admission to the prison hospital. The traces were also photographed by the Ombudsman’s office staff.
“On October 12, when Polad resumed his hunger strike, he was beaten by the head of colony No. 15 and an officer named Teymur. On October 15, when Polad was brought to the medical facility, they recorded injuries on him in the form of bruises on his neck and body. When the Ombudsman’s staff arrived, they took photos of this,” – explained Gulmira Aslanova.
She noted that she hopes to visit her husband in the medical facility in the coming days. “Since Polad is serving his sentence in a high-security institution, he is entitled to one short visit per month. In October, we took advantage of this opportunity. It was precisely on this basis that I was denied a meeting with the new head of the Penitentiary Service last time. To be precise, the head was inclined to grant the meeting, but a staff member present interfered. Although considering that Polad was on a hunger strike and was in a medical facility, I could have been granted a meeting. But now it is already November, that is, a new month, so we should be given a meeting. Polad was confirmed in this,” – said Aslanova.
It was not possible to obtain comments from the Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan and the Ombudsman’s office for “Caucasian Knot.”
Although prisoners in a high-security colony are entitled to one short visit per month, in exceptional cases, they also have the right to an unscheduled meeting, confirmed the head of the Political Prisoners Monitoring Center, human rights activist Elshan Gasanov. In particular, Article 81.6 of the Penal Code provides for the administration to create conditions for relatives to meet with a prisoner whose life is in danger due to a serious illness.
“A prolonged hunger strike falls under this case, as it significantly worsens health, creates risks of coma, and consequently poses a threat to life. In this case, it was about a person, a political prisoner, journalist Polad Aslanov, who has repeatedly conducted hunger strikes during his eight years of imprisonment, which have not gone without consequences for his health,” – said the human rights activist to a correspondent from “Caucasian Knot.”