Azerbaijani opposition politician Tofig Yagublu denied house arrest despite deteriorating health

The Baku Court of Appeals has rejected the release of detained opposition politician Tofig Yagubulu into house arrest despite reports of his deteriorating health over a month into his hunger strike.

The court denied Yagublu’s request on Tuesday.

Yagublu was sentenced to nine years in prison on charges of fraud and forgery in mid-March and has been on hunger strike since 1 April in protest of the ruling, which he maintains was politically motivated.

Shahla Karim, an independent journalist, wrote on social media that Yagublu was escorted to the court session with the help of five people.

‘He could not stand on his feet. His head and body were shaking. He was holding his head with his hands, and his voice was very weak. His mouth was open from dryness. In the middle of the trial, he started hyperventilating and vomiting’, wrote the journalist.

Ulviyya Ali, another independent journalist, posted on social media saying that ‘during the hearing, Yagublu stood up, showed the crowd a piece of paper with “You are my heart” written on it, lost his balance, and fell on the chair’.

‘He could barely raise his hand to greet people because he could not speak due to weakness’.

Yagublu’s legal team plans to appeal the court’s decision on 20 May.

Following the end of the hearing, police forcibly expelled those in attendance to show support for Yagublu, including his pregnant daughter, Nigar Hazi, who was reportedly assaulted by the police.

Yagublu previously served time between 2013–2017 on charges of organising protests in Ismayilli. He was released as part of an official pardon.

In March 2020, he was arrested again, this time on charges of hooliganism. According to the prosecution, Yagublu had been involved in a traffic accident, after which he insulted and caused bodily harm to the driver of the other car and his wife. In September 2020, the Nizami District Court sentenced him to four years and three months in prison.

Immediately after the verdict was announced, Yagublu stated that he had started a hunger strike in protest against the ruling. He continued the hunger strike for 17 days before being transferred to a clinic.

Later that month, he was released on house arrest by the Baku Court of Appeal.

In July 2021, the same court replaced his original sentence with a suspended one.

Multiple prisoners in Azerbaijan go on hunger strike

Prominent opposition politician Tofig Yagublu was the first person to start a hunger strike in April 2025.

OC MediaAytan Farhadova