15 March 2012, 08:00
In Azerbaijan, prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment go on hunger strike
At the Azerbaijani Gobustan closed prison, three prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment went on a hunger strike. The prisoners demand to reconsider their criminal cases.
The hunger strike was started on March 7, and the media reported on it on the sixth day of the protest action, on March 13.
In connection with their hunger strike, the protesters were transferred to a separate ward. This was reported by Mekhman Sadikhov, Chief of Public Relations of the Penitentiary Service (PS) of the Ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan. According to him, the state of health of the protesters is normal, and doctors examine them two times a day.
"The convicted persons demand to reconsider their criminal cases and to sentence them to 15 years of imprisonment. The prisoners periodically conduct such protest actions. In any case, the prison administration sends all their appeals to the recipient," the "Vesti.Az" quotes Mekhman Sadikhov as saying.
Eldar Zeinalov, Director of the "Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan", has confirmed the statement of Mekhman Sadikhov about transfer of the hunger strikers to the separate ward and said that it is done to ensure that no one has any doubt about the hunger strike, the "APA" reports.
