Although five have been released, Tural and 11 others remain behind bars.
Tural’s
lawyer has told us that he was beaten by police after his arrest last
year and since then he has been expelled from university and family
members have been fired from their jobs.
In March 2012 it was reported that two of the prisoners were beaten up by prison guards. Police then violently broke up a protest by their supporters outraged at the news and briefly detained a further 17 people. Five of the protestors, including Jabbar Savalan, were beaten up by the police.
Update: 16 May 2012
11 of those jailed for their role in the anti-government protests last spring launched a hunger strike yesterday (15 May), and have vowed to continue until the end of the Eurovision Song Contest, which takes place in Azerbaijan later this month. Some of the prisoners' relatives have joined the hunger strike in solidarity.
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