Azerbaijani activist again stops hunger strike in pre-trial detention center
After persistent requests from relatives and human rights activists, Azerbaijani social activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, who has been in a pre-trial detention center for almost a year, stopped his hunger strike on the tenth day.
Gadzhiev went on a hunger strike on October 2, after the court extended his arrest for another three months. The defense stated that the court's decision was illegal, since the deadlines established by law for conducting the investigation were violated.
Bakhtiyar Gadzhiev was arrested at the end of 2022 on charges of hooliganism and contempt of court. Later, he was charged with new articles on illegal entrepreneurship, legalization of proceeds from crime, falsification of documents and smuggling.
The charges brought are related to Hajiyev’s receipt of grants from a European human rights organization. He went on hunger strike several times. Representatives of the US State Department, the European Union, the Council of Europe and a number of international NGOs have repeatedly demanded the release of the activist.
