When: Wednesday, 20. April 2011 13.00-14.00
Where: London, Embassy of Azerbaijan, 4 Kensington Court, W8 5DL
Host: ARTICLE 19, Index on Censorship, Amnesty International, English PEN.
Contact: (cat@englishpen.org)
More info: www.englishpen.org/events/penevents/dayofactionforeynullafatullayev/

On 2 March 2011, Eynulla Fatullayev was transferred from a pre-trial detention facility to Baku no.1 prison and at his own request was held in solitary confinement for fear of being assaulted by other inmates. After coming out of solitary confinement on 31 March, Eynulla reportedly wrote a letter to the Minister of Justice Fikrat Mammadov. According to his lawyer Anar Gasimov “In the letter, Eynulla asks the minister for a helmet, a stab-proof vest, and a firearm. Basically he is asking the minister for a guard so as to ensure his safety.”

Eynulla is reportedly in the worst state he has been since his arrest – he is depressed and afraid, has lost a lot of weight, and is starting to lose hope, whilst reports suggest that he is not being provided with the necessary medication. He is, however, very aware of our ongoing support and is grateful for all the efforts that have been made. (For more information on his case, please click here.)

English PEN will be joining forces with other NGOs, including ARTICLE 19, Index on Censorship and Amnesty International, to organise a demonstration in London.

The demonstration will take place on Wednesday 20 April between 1 and 2pm outside the Embassy of Azerbaijan:

4 Kensington Court
London
W8 5DL

RSVP: For logistical reasons it will be helpful for us to be able to estimate the number of persons likely to attend the demonstration. Please send an e-mail to rebecca@article19.org with “Azerbaijan demo [insert number] attending” in the subject header to let us know if you – and any of your friends, family or colleagues – are planning to join us. Thank you.

Even if you’re not able to attend the demonstration, there is no reason you can’t be involved in the Day of Action wherever you are in the world. Possible actions include:

 – Sending appeal letters to the authorities in Azerbaijan;
 – Sending letters of support to Eynulla himself;
 – Writing a piece for your local or national newspaper;
 – Blogging or tweeting about Eynulla’s case;
 – Organising a reading of extracts from his work;
 – Changing your profile picture (on Facebook, Twitter etc) to a photograph of Eynulla.

If you have any other ideas or require any further information, email cat@englishpen.org