Yunis Safarov, Azerbaijani assassin who serves lifetime arrest sentence, has started hunger strike in prison. Safarov, who attempted to murder former mayor of Ganja city Elmar Valiyev in 2018, says his demand is freedom for 11 other prisoners convicted alongside him on the same case, who he says are “innocent”.
On January 26, a trial was held with Safarov’s presence at Baku Appeal Court. In his speech during the trial, Safarov announced that he has been on hunger strike for three days, with demand of freedom for 11 people who were convicted together with him back in August 2021. He argued that he was alone in plotting the murder against Valiyev.
“Law enforcement rounded up innocent people in order to incarcerate more people and named it an organized criminal gang.”
Safarov shot fire at Valiyev and his bodyguard in July 2018. In his previous trials he admitted that he tried to kill Valiyev because of his “rough treatment of Ganja residents”. Valiyev recovered from the gunshot later but lost his position in the office.
In August 2021, Safarov was sentenced to arrest for life by court, and 11 more people, detained in relation to the same case, to arrest between 15 to 20 years. The other prisoners and their families deny the charge and demand freedom, occasionally holding protests in Baku.
