Azerbaijani authorities lying: Eynula Fatullayev goes on hunger strike
Today the Garadag district court continued trial of convicted journalist Eynula Fatullayev charged with drug storage, Turan reported.
Fatullayev said that he has gone on a hunger strike since today to demand execution of the European Human Rights Court’s decision, which demanded his immediate release.
On April 22, 2010 the European Court in Strasbourg declared the sentences illegal and demanded that the journalist be released immediately, but the Azerbaijani authorities appealed against the decision.
He asked all his colleagues to inform presidential administration about his demand. “I think that president is misinformed about my case and me,” Fatullayev added.
He said information that Azerbaijani authorities have appealed against the European Court’s decision is a lie. “We have been told in Strasbourg that they have been waiting for the appeal for two months, but it has not been submitted yet,” Fatullayev said. He has asked his colleagues to join the hunger strike.
Lawyer Isahan Ashurov has requested the judge to execute the European Court’s decision and release Fatullayev. But judge Ismayil Halilov said that he tries only the case of drug storage.
Remind that bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli were detained in June, 2009 and are charged with hooliganism on false evidence. The case of the bloggers has brought about a great resonance in the international arena and nearly all the Western countries, international institutions and watchdog organizations have slammed Azerbaijan’s authorities over the issue. The bloggers have been convicted over criticizing the authorities, and spreading videos about corrupter political figures.