Azerbaijan’s Islamic Leader Stages Hunger Strike to Protest Holding Constitutional Referendum

The Alwaght said, quoting a report by the Islaminsesi.az, Mohsen Samadov has started his hunger strike after the government decided to go ahead with a referendum on the country's constitution.
 
Yalcin Imanov, the lawyer of the political leader Samadov in an interview with the Azeri new website has told of the hunger strike of his client, adding that "Haj Mohsen Samadov has gone into hunger strike since Monday August 29 to protest organizing a nationwide constitutional referendum by the government and also to criticize torturing Taleh Bagirov, a prominent Azeri Islamic scholar, and his loyalists in the prison."
 
The lawyer continued that his client had no other way to express his protest so he chose to stage a hunger strike.
 
Imanov maintained that the imprisoned leader of the Islamic Party has issued a message addressing the Azeri people. The message read: “protesting at the present conditions is a historic and divine duty for every one of us. Declining to demonstrate against the referendum would make me sad because I believe that holding the referendum quietly and without being challenged by any protests would mean destroying last parts of Azeri people's national pride. You should know that silence in the face of oppression is even worse than the oppression."
 
The lawyer of the imprisoned leader of the Islamic Party also said that another drive for making this decision was to show demonstration against illegal torture of the Taleh Bagirov who is a top leader in the Azerbaijan Islamic Union Movement, as well as his fellows.
 
Imanov said that although Samadov has told the prison chief about his decision to go on hunger strike, so far no doctor was tasked to supervise his health as he continues the protest.
 
Azerbaijan referendum would be held on September 26. The people would decide if they approve of some constitutional amendments including increasing the presidential period from 5 years to 7 years.