Opinion: 'Tofig Yagublu urges international community to pay attention to Azerbaijan through hunger strike'
Tofig Yagublu’s hunger strike
Azerbaijani human rights activist Fuad Ahmadli supports the hunger strike of politician Tofig Yagublu and believes it is important for drawing the attention of the international community.
Tofig Yagublu, a member of the National Council’s coordination center and the Musavat party, is known as one of the leaders of the Azerbaijani opposition and a sharp critic of Ilham Aliyev. Due to his political activities and criticism, he and his family members have repeatedly faced persecution, pressure, and torture.
His arrests are considered politically motivated by the international community, and he is recognized as a political prisoner.
He was last arrested on December 14, 2023, as part of the crackdown on civil society.
Charged with fraud and document forgery, Yagublu was sentenced by the Baku Court on Serious Crimes to 9 years in prison on March 10 of this year.
“I will not stop the hunger strike until my demand is met. The only way I will leave prison is through my death. Because I will continue this hunger strike until the end. When I die, then the hunger strike will end. Just as there is the Magnitsky Law, there should be the Yagublu Law. Perhaps my death will bring freedom to this country. I prefer death to leaving prison at the age of 75.”
In his final statement in court, the politician declared that he would begin his hunger strike on April 1.
Yagublu, who considers the court’s decision to be false, stated that he would continue the hunger strike until he is released.
“In priorities of civilized world, issue of Azerbaijan and human rights is not on agenda”
Member of the Azerbaijan People’s Front Party, former political prisoner, and human rights activist Fuad Ahmadli spoke to JAMnews about the potential consequences of Tofig Yagublu’s hunger strike.
“Compared to previous years, the attitude of the Azerbaijani authorities towards the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the progressive world in general has changed significantly. The accreditations of representatives from international media, who could be considered a tool for pressure and control in the fight against unlawful arrests and torture methods, were unjustifiably revoked. Independent media representatives and journalists inside the country were arrested without any legal basis, and access to these online resources was restricted.”
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Leaders and officials of the leading countries in the civilized world still do not prioritize the issue of Azerbaijan and human rights. In this situation, the only possible and acceptable means of resistance remains a hunger strike, though it is a risky but feasible step. It is, of course, very sad to see someone like Tofig Bey subjected to such life-threatening danger by a cruel and despotic system. It is important to support and not forget about it.
“Previously, we saw how political prisoners Sabuhi Salimov and, before him, Faina Kungurova died during hunger strikes”
Of course, the worst and most likely scenario is that Tofig Bey will not back down again, as he has done in previous hunger strikes. In a few months, or perhaps weeks, we may hear even sadder news. However, if this resistance enters such a phase and the death of Tofig Bey becomes a reality, one can hope that international human rights organizations will finally begin to act after a long silence.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has been operating in Azerbaijan for many years. They have managed to stay until today because their principles and objectivity have been at a level not matched by other organizations that were expelled from the country earlier.
It seems that Azerbaijani authorities have decided to tighten conditions. Now Baku does not want to see any organization in the country that, regardless of the form of agreement and “adaptation” with the authorities, has the words “human rights” in its mandate.
If Tofig Yagublu’s hunger strike ends in death, predicting the impact of this example on political prisoners will be quite difficult. Let’s hope everything turns out well.
For me personally, it is more important that Tofig Bey is alive and healthy than free. However, we have previously seen how political prisoners Sabuhi Salimov and, before him, Faina Kungurova died during hunger strikes. The passivity of the environment, the weak response from society, and the lack of international reactions led to the fact that after a brief hunger strike, the repressive machine began to act even more harshly. The country is the same, society is the same, the regime is the same. How can we predict anything differently?
Context
Tofig Yagublu was first arrested on September 12, 1998, during an opposition rally in Fountain Square ahead of the 1998 presidential elections. He was detained for the duration of the investigation and later sentenced to 2 years of conditional imprisonment by the Nizami District Court. Yagublu claimed the accusation was false and his arrest was politically motivated.
In February 2013, he was arrested under Articles 233 (organizing actions that disrupt public order or actively participating in such actions) and 315 (resisting a representative of the authorities or using violence against them) of the Criminal Code in connection with protests in the Ismailly district. On March 17, 2014, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison by the Sheki Serious Crimes Court. His arrest was sharply condemned by the international community, the US, and the European Union.
During his imprisonment, his daughter, Narghiz Yagublu, passed away.
In March 2016, he was released under amnesty.
In March 2020, he was arrested under Article 221 (hooliganism) of the Criminal Code. After the investigation, which human rights defenders called unjust and fabricated, Yagublu was sentenced by the Nizami District Court to 4 years and 3 months in prison. On September 2, he began a hunger strike to the death and was transferred to house arrest on September 18, 16 days after the sentence was announced.
He was last arrested on December 14, 2023, as part of a wave of arrests against civil society. This time, he faced charges under Articles 178.3.2 (fraud causing significant damage), 320.1 (forgery, illegal manufacture, or sale of official documents, state awards, seals, stamps, and forms), and 320.2 (use of knowingly forged documents) of the Criminal Code. This arrest was also recognized by the international community as politically motivated.
He is currently held in the Baku detention center of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice.
