Anar Aliyev, arrested on charges of drug trafficking, has been on a dry hunger strike since October 3. This was reported by lawyer Elchin Sadygov.
It is a reminder that in July he arrived in Azerbaijan from Germany to visit his sick father. Aliev’s family was granted asylum in Germany for humanitarian reasons.
A couple of weeks later, he was arrested by the police and charged with drug trafficking. A criminal case has been initiated against him under articles 234.4.1 (Illegal drug manufacture,
shipment or sale) and 234.4.3 (in large size) of the Criminal Code and he faces up to 12 years of imprisonment.
According to the lawyer, Aliyev is in the temporary detention facility of the Nizami district police department, where he began a dry hunger strike in protest against political and trumped-up charges against him. After his arrest, the authorities also did not release his family from the country – his wife and daughter.
Anar Aliyev rejects these accusations as far-fetched. The real reason for his persecution is his participation in protest actions in Germany demanding the protection of the rights of political prisoners in Azerbaijan.