Political prisoner-journalist goes on hunger strike in Azerbaijan

The head of the website Demokratik.az, Osman Narimanoglu (Rzayev), sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, went on a hunger strike in a pre-trial detention center in Azerbaijan. He protests the bias in his appeal against his conviction.

The journalist has been in prison for almost two years, and the appeal court is delaying the investigation. The judge does not grant the defense's requests and refuses to place Narimanoglu under house arrest and to call the victims as witnesses.

Arzu Rzayev’s wife said that his health condition has worsened, but the necessary medical care is not provided to the journalist.

Osman Narimanoglu was arrested in July 2022 on charges of extorting money from officials. He said the charges were fabricated.

The journalist believes that the reason for the persecution is his revealing materials about corrupt officials. In January 2024, the court sentenced him to six and a half years in prison. Human rights activists recognized Osman Narimanoglu as a political prisoner.

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