Jailed Azerbaijani activist on hunger strike over prison transfer

Ilkin Baghirov

A jailed Azerbaijani activist sentenced for allegedly plotting to set up an Islamic state has gone on a hunger strike to protest against his transfer to a high-security prison, according to his family.

Ilkin Baghirov has refused food for three days following a decision to move him to the Umbaki Penitentiary Complex, a closed-regime facility near the capital, Baku.

Journalist Arzu Abdulla reported the protest on 23 June, citing the activist's relatives.

Baghirov's mother, Khuraman Baghirova, said her son has faced continuous mistreatment since his arrest, including being held in solitary confinement without explanation at a previous facility.

"Without any reason, under the pretext of disrupting order, they want to hold another trial and send him directly to Umbaki," Baghirova said. "What is the reason for this hostile attitude?"

She added that a court hearing scheduled for 21 June to review his prison regime was postponed because officials claimed his case file had been lost.

Baghirov was arrested in May 2023 during a security operation by Azerbaijan's State Security Service (DTX).

He and a group of other religious activists were accused of attempting to overthrow the secular government to establish "Karima", a state governed by Sharia law.

In June last year, the Baku Grave Crimes Court sentenced Baghirov to 16 years in prison, while his co-defendants received sentences of between 10 and 17 years.

State prosecutors claimed the group was formed under the instructions of Ruhulla Akhundzadeh, an Azerbaijani cleric living in Iran, who reportedly sent directives through the Telegram messaging app.

Former Education Minister Misir Mardanov and Mirshahin Aghayev, the head of the pro-government news outlet Real TV, were designated as victims in the criminal trial.

The defendants have denied all allegations, maintaining that the charges are entirely fabricated.