Polad Aslanov continues his hunger strike

Baku/16.02.21/Turan: The editor of the website xeberman.com Polad Aslanov continues his hunger strike for 17 days. Yesterday and today, his blood was taken for tests, his wife Gulmira Aslanova said.

“Today his blood pressure was measured, but the indicators were not said. Polad was told that in 1-2 days he would be transferred to the jail. Despite the long hunger strike, he was not isolated and he was in a cell with another prisoner,” Gulmira Aslanova said.

She noted that on February 15, before being sent to the trial at the Baku Court of Appeal, Polad was deprived of the text of the last word in court and the letter to US President Joe Biden.

In a letter to Biden, he asks the US President to protect his rights and the other 150 political prisoners, Aslanov's wife said.

* On November 16, the founder of the website xeberman.com, Polad Aslanov, was found guilty of espionage for Iran by the court and sentenced to 16 years in prison. The state prosecutor asked to be sentenced to 17 years.

Aslanov was arrested on June 12, 2019 and charged under the Article 274 of the Criminal Code (treason). The investigation claims that Aslanov recruited fellow journalists and persuaded them to cooperate with the Iranian special services. Aslanov denied all charges, claiming that he was being prosecuted for exposing the facts of corruption on the part of intelligence officers. International organizations condemned his arrest, calling for the release of Aslanov.

Consideration of P. Aslanov's appeal began on February 1. During the meeting, he announced a hunger strike, demanding to ensure the objectivity of the process. On February 15, the Baku Court of Appeal rejected Polad Aslanov's complaint, upholding the verdict. -16B06-