Fazil Gasimov Says He Was Punished with Solitary Confinement for Hunger Strike: “They Put Me in a Punishment Cell and Torture Me”

Fazil Gasimov

Fazil Gasimov, an Azerbaijani doctoral student at Istanbul University who has been imprisoned for nearly two years, says he was placed in a punishment cell (karser) because of his hunger strike. He made this statement at a hearing in the Baku Court of Appeals on May 22, 2025.

Gasimov stated that he began a hunger strike on May 10 in protest against his unlawful detention. According to him, on May 21, he was punished in the penitentiary facility in Umbaki where he is being held: “Because I am on a death fast, they placed me in solitary confinement and are punishing me. I am kept in unsanitary conditions and subjected to torture by various methods.”

He also stated that his right to a defense was violated during both the preliminary and trial investigations. “The hearing on February 28, 2025, was held without my participation. That day, I was forcibly brought to court by convoy officers, and this was inhumane treatment. I was also not allowed to make my final statement. Therefore, the case should be returned to the first-instance court,” said Gasimov.

He emphasized that the judges were unjust and not reviewing the case legally. He said that his appeal complaint was ignored and submitted a written objection to the panel chaired by Judge Aqil Musayev. Gasimov stated that the judges acted with bias and that he did not believe they would issue a fair or objective ruling. His objection was dismissed.

During the hearing, Gasimov attempted to pass a document to his lawyer, Nemat Karimli, but convoy officers seized it for inspection. Gasimov protested this interference and also objected to the panel of judges, claiming they held a preparatory hearing on April 30 before officially receiving his appeal. This objection, too, was dismissed.

Attorney Karimli supported Gasimov’s motion for the case to be returned to the lower court. He also requested that if the appeal proceeds, a partial investigation should be conducted. He noted that allegations involve Gubad Ibadoglu and Anar Aliyev as members of an organized group, but Ibadoglu has not been questioned, and his case has been separated.

Karimli asked the court to summon Ibadoglu as a witness and to obtain surveillance footage and an operations log from the Baku City Police Department, allegedly showing an exchange of money. “Gubad Ibadoglu should be questioned, and the camera footage should be reviewed to see whether this really happened. There is not a single piece of evidence, yet someone was sentenced to nine years in prison out of thin air,” the lawyer said.

The court, however, ruled that the appeal would be reviewed without a judicial investigation or additional examination of evidence. As a result, neither Ibadoglu will be summoned nor the footage reviewed. All defense motions were denied. The trial was postponed to June 4.

The Penitentiary Service has not provided a comment on Gasimov’s claims of punishment, mistreatment, and poor conditions. In previous statements, the Public Relations Department claimed that detainees’ rights are upheld and that degrading or inhumane treatment is not permitted.

Gasimov previously lived in Turkey. He was detained in Istanbul on August 8, 2023—approximately ten days after Gubad Ibadoglu’s arrest—and extradited to Azerbaijan. He was charged under Article 204.3.1 of the Criminal Code (manufacturing, acquiring, or selling counterfeit currency as part of an organized group).

According to the indictment, Gasimov allegedly handed counterfeit U.S. dollars to Ibadoglu in Istanbul, who then brought them to Baku and gave $1,000 of it to a man named Anar Aliyev. Gasimov has denied the charges and stated in court that during the investigation he was forced, under duress and the influence of medication, to sign a false statement against Ibadoglu. He later retracted this statement and claimed his arrest was politically motivated.

On the day of Ibadoglu’s arrest, law enforcement officers searched his organization’s office and claimed to have found $40,000, part of which was counterfeit. Ibadoglu said the money was planted by the authorities.

During the investigation, Ibadoglu was also charged under Article 167-3.1 of the Criminal Code (preparation, storage, or dissemination of religious extremist materials), which he denied. In April 2024, he was released under house arrest, and in May 2024, placed under police supervision. In August 2024, his case was separated from Gasimov’s.

Gasimov’s case proceeded to trial, and on March 13, 2025, he was sentenced to nine years in prison by the Baku Serious Crimes Court.

Human rights defenders consider him a political prisoner.

Shortly after his release, Ibadoglu’s political party—the Democracy and Welfare Party of Azerbaijan—was suspended. The party’s board stated the suspension was due to the denial of its official registration.

Gasimov had previously gone on a hunger strike last year to demand his release, reportedly lasting more than six months. His relatives said he survived that strike by drinking water mixed with honey.