Jailed Azerbaijan activist on hunger strike after solitary confinement

Elvin Mustafayev

A jailed Azerbaijani trade union activist has gone on a hunger strike in protest at being placed in solitary confinement, his family say.

Elvin Mustafayev, a member of the Workers' Table Confederation of Trade Unions (İşçi Masası), began refusing food on 1 July after being moved to a punishment cell the previous day.

Mustafayev is serving a three-year sentence at Prison Number 17, with fewer than 40 days remaining before his scheduled release.

His family say they have not been given a reason for the disciplinary action, and fear prison authorities are attempting to provoke him to justify extending his detention.

"We could not get any information about why Elvin was put in solitary," his father, Ali Mustafayev, said. "I believe this is aimed at keeping him in prison longer."

The country's Prison Service could not be reached for immediate comment.

Mustafayev was arrested in August 2023 on charges of drug possession, which he rejected as a fabricated retaliation for his labour rights advocacy. He was sentenced in January 2024.

His family allege he has faced repeated harassment inside the facility.

In June, relatives reported that prison officials had threatened him with a fresh criminal case after he criticised the medical treatment of Tofiq Yaqublu, a prominent jailed opposition politician.

They also claimed Mustafayev was subjected to physical violence by guards in May after protesting against an order to shave his beard. The Prison Service has previously dismissed claims of physical abuse inside Azerbaijani correctional facilities as unfounded.

Several other members of the Workers' Table confederation are currently behind bars on various charges, including its chairman, Afiaddin Mammadov. All maintain their innocence.

Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly denied holding political prisoners, insisting that individuals are prosecuted only for concrete criminal offences rather than their public or political activities.