Amnesty International on Friday called for the urgent release of political activist Tofig Yagublu following his hunger strike that began on April 1.
Amnesty International’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia director Marie Struthers stated: “The Azerbaijani authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Tofig Yagublu, who has been imprisoned solely for his outspoken criticism of government, and should urgently provide him access to all necessary health services.”
Struthers emphasized that Yagublu’s deteriorating health has been worsened by his chronic asthma, for which it appears he is receiving no treatment assistance. Struthers stated: “Tofig Yagublu has endured years of politically motivated persecution and ill-treatment by Azerbaijani authorities. This time, not just his freedom, but his health and life are at stake. His condition has been significantly deteriorating, and every day counts.”
Yagublu was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of fraud resulting in substantial harm, in violation of Article 178.3.2 of the Criminal Code, and document forgery, in violation of Articles 320.1 and 320.2. Before his sentencing, he was detained in pre-trial custody for four months. Human Rights Watch (HRW) considered the initial detention a violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, citing it as “arbitrary” and unnecessary. HRW further reported that Yagublu denied all charges alleged against him, determining instead that the Azerbaijan authorities conspired to frame him for crimes on account of his political activism. He has been previously charged with spurious incitement charges and hooliganism charges since 2013 and has each time reportedly been subjected to ill-treatment.
His arrest followed an onslaught of arrests of political activists and attempts by the government to silence independent media or any opposition to their political oversight. On March 6, 2024, six journalists were detained by authorities with a similar intent to limit their outspoken political commentary. HRW reported that their arrests occurred on account of “bogus smuggling charges,” and the rights group warned that political activists have been arrested on falsified charges such as treason, counterfeiting, and extremism.
The silencing of political activists and the prevention of opposition uprising dominated the 2024 presidential election, with the election being deemed corrupt and the timing moved from the original 2025 date to allegedly ensure the opposition could not mobilize enough support to be victorious. The election saw 92 percent of votes in support of the prime minister, a figure the Human Rights Foundation deemed was only possible on account of the extreme corruption and predetermination of the results due to the political silencing of opposition causing no prominent figure to remain to run against the prime minister.
