Azerbaijan, Baku, 30 March /corr. Trend I.Alizadeh / One of the five participants of the hunger strike being held to protest against arrest of the media representatives and pressure on the free media in Azerbaijan stopped the strike. "The Chairman of Democratic Youth Movement in Azerbaijan, Agasif Shakiroglu, who joined hunger strike of editor-in-chief of Gundelik Azerbaijan and Realni Azerbaijan newspapers, Eynulla Fatullayev, stopped the strike," the chief editor of Gundelik Azerbaijan newspaper, Shahveled Chobanoglu, reported to Trend on 30 March.
Imprisoned Fatullayav began hunger strike on 26 March. The editor-in-chief requires objective consideration of his case, release of arrested journalists and application of concrete protection mechanisms of the Council of Europe and OSCE regarding political prisoners.
The chief editor of Gundelik Azerbaijan newspaper, Shahveled Chobanoglu, editor-in-chief of Yeni Musavat newspaper, Zahid Safaroglu and journalist of the newspaper, Elshan Balakhanli, employee of Bizim Yol ('Our Way') newspaper, Natig Javadli and Chairman of Democratic Youth Movement in Azerbaijan, Agasif Shakiroglu have been holding hunger strike for four days to support the editor-in-chief of Gundelik Azerbaijan and Realni Azerbaijan newspaper, Eynulla Fatullayev.
Accordign to Chobanoglu, after they knew that Shakiroglu is a pupil, they demand him to stop the strike. In addition, due to sharp fall in his pressure, Shakiroglu stopped hunger strike on 30 April. Shakiroglu had joined the strike on 29 March.
In the second half of the day, Natig Javadli's pressure worsened. "Urgent medical aid was called. Doctors of urgent medical aid station 16 examined the participants of the action. Despite that the doctors wanted to provide medical aid to Javadli, he refused it and decided to continue the strike," Chobanoglu said.
The doctors made clear that blood pressure of the strike participants fell, but their state is normal and they continue the strike.
According to Chobanoglu, the representatives of Ombudsman office visited them and suggested to stop the strike.
Fatullayev was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for terrorist threats and tax evasion.
Presently, three journalists have been imprisoned in Azerbaijan. They are Ganimat Zahid, chief editor of Azadlig newspaper, Mirza Sakit, journalist of Azadlig newspaper and Zahid's brother, and Eynulla Fatullayev, chief editor of Gundalik Azerbaijan and Realni Azerbaijan newspapers journalist.