Nijad Ibrahim's family is worried about his condition on the 28th day of his hunger strike

The health of activist Nijad Ibrahim, sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, has worsened as a result of a prolonged hunger strike. 

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," in late July, a Baku court sentenced  activist Nijad Ibrahim to 6.5 years in prison. He pleaded not guilty, and his defense appealed the verdict. On October 6, the Baku Court of Appeals upheld the verdict, after the activist had been on hunger strike for three weeks. 

Ibrahim has been on a hunger strike for 28 days in protest against his unfounded criminal prosecution and unfair sentence. During a phone call, the activist's voice was very weak; he had no strength to speak, his wife, Parvin Ibrahim (Ibragimova), reported today. 

"We learned about his hunger strike just a week ago from lawyer Zibeyda Sadygova, who participated in Nijad's appeal hearing. During a phone conversation, my husband told me he's been refusing food for 28 days and drinking only water. He's experiencing severe dizziness and body aches. Nijad told no one to beg him to end his hunger strike. He said he'd been slandered, the courts hadn't handled his case fairly, and not a single defense motion had been granted. Nijad already had numerous health problems. Because of this slanderous case, he's attempted suicide several times. We're deeply worried about him," the activist's wife told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Lawyer Zibeyda Sadygova confirmed that Nijad Ibrahim has been on a hunger strike for four weeks. She said the activist is protesting the unfair trial of his case. The lawyer noted that the defense filed approximately 20 motions in the appellate court, but none were granted.

"There is not a single credible piece of evidence of Nijad Ibrahim's guilt. If he had attacked the victim with a knife, it would have been captured on CCTV cameras at the scene. But the investigation did not produce the footage, and our requests to obtain the footage were denied," Sadygova told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. 

A "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was unable to obtain comments regarding Ibrahim's hunger strike from the Azerbaijani Penitentiary Service.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest level in 2024 since the country's 23-year membership in the Council of Europe, according to the Caucasian Knot report " Key Points on the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan ." However, Azerbaijani authorities  deny the existence  of political prisoners in the country.

Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/416288