Activists detained in Baku at a rally in support of Salekh Rustamov

The police disrupted a rally in support of activist Salekh Rustamov, who is on hunger strike in prison. The activist demands to release him. Organizers of the action were detained before its start. During the action, the police took at least 20 activists away from Fountain Square in Baku.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on November 6, Salekh Rustamov, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), went on a hunger strike in protest against the fact that he was not affected by the amnesty. On November 19, NGOs and human rights defenders called on the president of Azerbaijan to release Salekh Rustamov. On the 23rd day of Salekh Rustamov’s hunger strike, his brother reported that the prisoner was not able to move independently. Doctors called the activist’s condition severe and warned of the danger to his life in case of refusal of water. On November 30, several political parties of Azerbaijan demanded the release of Salekh Rustamov.

Today, at least 20-25 people have been detained at a rally in Baku, including Tofig Yagublu, a well-known oppositionist, a member of the Coordination Centre of the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF), and his daughter, activist Nigyar Khazi.

The rally was suppressed by the police, because it “was not sanctioned by the authorities” and was held in violation of the “quarantine regime,” the press service for the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported.