On March 4th Fariz Namazli, lawyer of journalist Faramaz Allahverdiyev (Novruzoglu), told the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety that the journalist will start hunger strike in Baku Investigative Prison #1, where he is being held. According to Namazli, Faramaz will stitch up his mouth in protest to the Supreme Court, which denied the journalist’s request to participate in his trial and see his case file documents.
Namazli also noted that Faramaz Allahverdiyev refused to participate in the next hearing in Baku Appeals Court that will take place on March 15.
Background: Faramaz Allahverdiyev was sentenced to 4.5 years in jail under Article 220.2 (Appeals to mass disorders and violence against citizens) and 318.1 (Crossing protected frontiers of the Azerbaijan Republic without established documents or outside of check point of frontier). It is alleged that in 2011 ahead of March 11 Great People’s Day (a Facebook event) Faramaz Allahverdiyev, under the nickname of Elchin Ilgaroglu, called upon people to riot, promising to burn himself during the action. It is also alleged that he had illegally crossed the Azerbaijani-Turkish border and lived there from November 2010 until October 2011. Besides the prison sentence, Allahverdiyev is required to pay 1350 AZN fine imposed on him by November 5, 2010 decision of the Narimanov District Court and 70 AZN in compensation for the expenses of forensic medical exam carried out during the last trial. Faramaz will serve his jail sentence in a “strict regime” prison.