The hunger strike of activists of youth movements in Azerbaijan continues for 11 days. The strike is directed to restore the education rights of two students Turan Aliyev and Namiq Feyziyev expelled from the universities on political motives. (07-JAN-2006)

Currently the strikers are 6 people: Turan Aliyev (expelled student – 11 days), Namig Feyziyev (expelled student – 11 days), Emin Huseynov (the head of Magam Youth Movement – 11 days), Seymur Khaziyev (head of Youth Committee of Popular Front Party – 3 days), Mammed Pashazadeh (activist of Popular Front Party – 2 days), Ismayil Allahverdiyev (activists of ADP – 2 days). The striker Elnur Mamedov had to stop the hunger strike after 3 days because of internal bleeding (stomach disease).

Health state
Despite of deteriorating health condition and insistent advice of doctors, the strikers refuse to stop the action. According to Salman Babayev, doctor of first medical aid service No 3, Turan Aliyev and Emin Huseynov must immediately stop the strike for very low blood pressure. The doctors said Turan Aliyev that if his blood pressure drops further on he could fall into coma. The strikers refused to be hospitalized or to be made glucose injection. The strikers have pains in the whole body and cannot move. Huseynov’s eyesight fails and he gasps for breath.
   
Suggestions of Ombudsman
hunger-OmbudsmanOn January 6 Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova visited the strikers. She said he has discussed the situation with rectors of the universities and rector of Baku State University Abel Magerramov said the question on Aliyev’s restoration in the university could be considered only during the summer session. One of the suggested “compromise” was to re-pass the examinations on 6 subjects, which had already been successfully passed and to get restored to the university for next academic year one grade below (according to Ombudsman, the senior Turan Aliyev should agree to become junior year student in summer). The strikers refused to accept Ombudsman’s suggestions and stated that they would continue the strike, till restoration of rights of Feiziyev and Aliyev. Emin Huseynov said to Elmira Suleymanova “you are not Ombudsman, you act like a Prosecutor”.

Students raise their voice
The peers of the expelled students raise their voices in the university despite of permanent pressure from the side of university administration. According to the strikers, in Baku State University there were collected 800 signatures. The peers of Namig Feyziyev’s group – 20 students wrote and signed the protest letter in support of N.Feyziyev too.

Official reaction
Accoding to Seymur Khaziyev, head of PPFA youth committee, “there was no official reaction to ten-day-long hunger strike of members of youth movements, except for the statement of Education Minister Misir Mardanov that students had been expelled for “poor results.” Feyziyev said the university’s administration attempted to institute a frame-up criminal case against him. “But even police refused to do that,” added Feyziyev. He said since his first day in the university he was under pressure, because refused to join ruling party Yeni Azerbaijan. The same is with Turan Aliyev who is the only student of his group, who had not accepted membership of ruling party.

Lawyer Osman Kazimov confirmed that pressure is exerted on members of youth movements. He has shown order of rector of Baku State University, which reads that Aliyev is expelled on political motives. Kazimov said next week suits would be filed against rectors of Azerbaijan Pedagogical University and Baku State University for issuing “illegal” orders and against Education Minister for “inactivity.”

Hunger strikers will bring a case against Public TV
On 7 January youth activists stated that they intend to bring Public TV to court on January 9 for ignoring their hunger strike. “Beginning on the first day of their action the strikers appealed to Public TV to send reporters, but “were misled, and sometimes Public TV representatives were rude to us,” a striker Huseynov said. Public TV, as an independent public channel, is required by law to cover all kinds of events. However, this was not the case regarding the hunger strikers. “Public TV sent a group of camera operators to film us, but did not broadcast the footage on TV,” Huseynov stated. During the eleven days of the strike Public TV only once briefly reported on the strike, and did not at this time show any footage.

The strikers demand that Public TV follow the principles of public broadcasting, apologize for both publicly ignoring the strike and having a rude attitude toward the strikers. “We have brought this case against Public TV in order to have our demands met; the Forum and Association of Lawyers of Azerbaijan have promised to help us,” Huseynov said.

Support to hunger strikers
The hunger strike of youth activists has become a point of concern and attention of numerous organizations, political parties, human rights defenders and public activists.

Among the visitors were the representatives of official diplomatic corps: embassies of USA, Norway, Germany and Great Britain, as well as of Baku Office of the OSCE. The advisor of the US Embassy for human rights Paul Wain told journalists that the diplomats came to study the situation. “We learned about hunger strike from press and want to get information from first source,” he said on the 6-th of January.

hunger-partiesOn the 6-th of January the leaders of the “Azadlig” election bloc Isa Gambar, Ali Kerimli and Serdar Calaloglu, the leader of “Milli Birlik” Lala Shovket and chairman of AMIP Ali Aliyev visited the strikers and called them to stop strike which attracted attention of international publicity.
   
The case of hunger strikers is within the close attention of the Human Rights House Foundation, which made a statement to the Ministry of Education with the copy to Ombudsman. The Baku-based coordinator of HRH gets updated information about the case every day.  

A group of human rights activists appeal to the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to help in restoration of two university students. The appeal expresses concern with health of strikers. Human rights activists think that interference of president and restoration of the rights of students would be act of humanism on the eve of sacred holiday Gurban. Among the appealed were Novella Cafaroglu, Saadat Bananyarli, Arzu Abdullayeva and others.

Civil Union Deyerler (“Values”), which was founded in Decmber 2005 by 33 religious NGO-s, supports demands of participants of hunger strike, but calls them to stop strike and use other forms of fight: pickets, petition and so on. Deyerler condemns tyranny of officials and indifference of authorities to human fates. The Union calls international and local publicity to continue efforts for restoration of the rights of youth activists.