Azerbaijani opposition figure Samir Ashurov, serving a sentence in a prison colony, has declared a hunger strike after alleging violence by an administration official. According to his wife, Nurana Ashurova, the hunger strike was prompted by an incident in which a high-ranking prison official struck Ashurov in the face.
Nurana Ashurova said this incident occurred after her husband and other activists publicly accused the authorities of complicity in the death of Elbay Karimli, a convicted member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan. According to her, pressure on prisoners in the prison has increased since then. She also believes this is connected to the creation of the "Committee for the Protection of Political Prisoners." In November, six prisoners in Baku's Colony No. 2, including Samir Ashurov, announced the creation of this committee, citing the "critical" and "systematic" nature of human rights and freedom violations in Azerbaijan.
In 2023, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced activist Samir Ashurov to 6.5 years in prison. He was accused of stabbing a man. He claims he was convicted of opposition activities, like other Azerbaijani activists deported from Germany and falsely accused.
