Editor-in-chief of the "Azadlyg" newspaper arrested in Azerbaijan goes on hunger strike

Today, Ganimat Zakhidov, editor-in-chief of the oppositional newspaper "Azadlyg" (Freedom), who is in custody, has begun his termless hunger strike with a demand to stop suppression of the freedom of press in Azerbaijan.

According to Azer Akhmedov, director of the "Azadlyg", Mr Zakhidov is protesting against criminal prosecution of journalists in Azerbaijan, the Radio Liberty reports. Other journalists are going to join the action as a sign of solidarity with Zakhidov.

The APA Agency is also reporting, with reference to journalist Elchin Sadygov's advocate, that Zakhidov also demands to stop pressure on him and his family. Meanwhile, the employees of the Investigatory Insulation Facility (SIZO) No. 1, where the arrested journalist is kept, have informed that they had not received yet any Zakhidov's statements in connection with the hunger strike. The advocate has noted that yesterday he had a meeting with his client, and the latter had no complaints on his custody conditions and state of health.

The "Caucasian Knot" reported earlier that on December 2 the General Public Prosecutor of Azerbaijan rejected the petition of Deputies of the Parliament to release Ganimat Zakhidov under their surety. Deputy Panakh Gussein said in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the unjustified refusal to release Ganimat Zakhidov under the surety was a roughest violation of the law.