Fatima Movlamli, a detained Azerbaijani journalist, concluded her hunger strike on Tuesday following a change in regulations by Elnur Ismailov, the director of the Baku Pretrial Detention Centre. Ismailov reportedly rescinded a new policy requiring all meetings to occur through a protective glass partition. Movlamli was initially arrested in February 2025 as part of a criminal investigation against the independent media outlet, Meydan TV, and charged with smuggling.
She initiated the hunger strike on March 8th in protest against this ban on unrestricted meetings. The restriction was prompted by demonstrations organized by fellow imprisoned Meydan TV journalists – Aytaj Ahmadova, Aysel Umudova, Khayala Aghayeva, and Ulviyya Guliyeva – who refused to meet with their families through the newly installed partition on February 26th. They reported that the detention center administration had cancelled all open meetings for prisoners and journalists.
Movlamli’s mother, Vusala Movlamova, stated that her daughter’s primary demand was the restoration of the right to open meetings with family and the safeguarding of her detainee’s rights, including the confiscation of her belongings. Following this concession, Ismailov assured that prisoners would be permitted to meet with their families openly. This development led to Meydan TV editor-in-chief Aynur Ganbarova also refusing to attend a family meeting through the partition.
Despite Movlamli ending her hunger, other imprisoned individuals, including opposition leader Tofig Yagublu (on his 18th day of a hunger strike protesting his sentencing) and journalist Nurlan Gahramanli, continue their own hunger strikes demanding release. These individuals are protesting their arrests and seeking immediate freedom.
Topics: #journalist #hunger #strike
Fatima Movlamli, a jailed Azerbaijani journalist, stopped her hunger strike last Tuesday due to a shift in rules implemented by Elnur Ismailov, the head of the Baku Pretrial Detention Centre. Ismailov