Tofiq Yaqublu Ends 40-Day Hunger Strike in Prison Protest Against 9-Year Sentence

Tofig Yagublu

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Tofiq Yaqublu—a detained member of both the Musavat Party and the National Council—has reportedly ended his 40-day hunger strike, which he launched to protest his imprisonment.

His daughter, Nigar Həzi, announced the news on her Facebook page.

She recounted meeting her father in critical condition:

“Seeing him like that made my blood run cold. I implored him to call off the hunger strike, not just to save his life, but mine and our unborn child’s as well. He was so fragile mentally that I couldn’t even mention the imminent danger to our baby. I only pleaded with him to stop, for my sake and for the sake of our family.”

According to Nigar Həzi, her father consented and ended his fast. “His physician, Dr. Adil Geybulla, is currently attending to him,” she added.

Due to his declining health, the Ministry of Justice has moved him to the Penitentiary Service’s healthcare facility.

Yaqublu was detained in December 2023. On March 10, the Baku Serious Crimes Court convicted him of fraud and document forgery, sentencing him to nine years behind bars. He initiated a death fast on April 1 in objection to the verdict.

This hunger strike isn’t his first act of protest.

Back on March 22, 2020, he spent 17 days fasting to oppose his arrest. When his health failed, authorities replaced his four-year, three-month sentence with a suspended term.

For over three decades, Yaqublu has been a leading voice against the Aliyev dynasty, which has governed Azerbaijan for 32 years.

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Tofig Yagublu, a member of the Musavat Party and the National Council, has been on a hunger strike since April 1, 2025, demanding his release following his sentencing to nine years in prison by the Baku Court for Grave Crimes on March 10, 2025. He was convicted of large-scale fraud and forging or using false documents, charges he strongly denies and considers politically motivated.

As of May 9, 2025, Yagublu’s hunger strike had reached its 39th day, and his health condition had become critical. His daughter, Nigar Hezi, has been actively appealing to the public and authorities, calling for urgent medical intervention.

In a live video message shared on her Facebook page on May 9, Nigar Hezi said:

“Today marks the 39th day of Tofig Yagublu’s hunger strike. My entire family and I are outside the medical facility. The news coming from inside is far from reassuring. His life is in danger, and he could die at any moment. Throughout this time, doctor Adil Qeybulla has still not been allowed to see him. As a family, we demand that Adil Qeybulla be allowed to go in.”

She further added:

“We are not leaving here until he is let in. Because anything can happen at any moment, and we might lose Tofig Yagublu. The situation is extremely critical — words cannot express it. Please, be our voice! Demand with us that doctor Adil Qeybulla be granted access to the facility.”

Later that day, Nigar Hezi posted on Facebook that she had managed to speak briefly with her father by phone:

“Finally, I spoke with my father. Although it's not our phone day, I was given a few minutes to hear his voice. Thanks to everyone who was concerned. Thank you very much for your support.”

Earlier on May 8, 2025, a group of prominent public and political figures addressed an open appeal to President Ilham Aliyev, urging him to intervene. The letter—signed by doctor Adil Qeybulla, poet and VHP chairman Sabir Rustamkhanli, composer Javanshir Guliyev, journalist Qulu Maharramli, MP Erkin Qadirli, and others—warned that:

“Tofig Yagublu’s hunger strike has now passed its sixth week, and the physical and psychological effects have placed his life in serious danger. We ask you, as the leader of the country, to show the will to save the life of Tofig Yagublu, a citizen of the nation you govern.”

Nigar Hezi reiterated the urgency in another statement posted that day:

“My father’s life is in danger. He could die at any moment. During all this time, doctor Adil Qeybulla has still not been allowed to see him. This indicates that Tofig Yagublu is being tortured to death.”

On the same day, May 9, Elmin Badalov, an Azerbaijani actor and founder of ADO Theater currently living in exile in Germany, staged a solo protest in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Berlin. He demanded Yagublu’s release and attached posters reading “Freedom for Tofig Yagublu,” “Don’t kill,” and “Set him free” to the embassy gates. In his video message recorded at the protest site, Badalov stated:

“We have said everything we could, expressed all our protests, but they don’t want to hear us […] I want to remind you of humanism and say that this horrifying situation must be stopped before it is too late. This is about the fate of a citizen, regardless of who he is—a writer, poet, actor, it doesn’t matter. This is about a country. In a country, there should be all kinds of people, including those who protest. If there is a president, there must be criticism of the president. Some will praise, some will criticize. This is the limit—this can’t go on. A citizen is dying, and we must stop this death. Otherwise, the fate of every citizen is in jeopardy.”

Tofig Yagublu was first arrested in December 2023. On May 6, 2025, the Baku Court of Appeal, led by Judge Zamin Ibrahimov, reviewed and rejected the appeal against his prison sentence and denied a request for house arrest. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 20, 2025.

Over his decades of political activity, Yagublu has been recognized as one of the most vocal critics of the Aliyev family, who have ruled Azerbaijan for 32 years. He has been arrested eight times and is widely regarded as a prisoner of conscience.