The health of Ulvi Hasanli, the jailed director of Abzas Media, has deteriorated after 12 days on hunger strike.

Hasanli’s family told Abzas Media on 30 July that he is experiencing worsening health issues, including breathing difficulties caused by poor ventilation at the Umbaki prison facility, where he is currently held.

According to the family, Hasanli has not received proper medical supervision due to a lack of basic medical equipment. They report that his weight has dropped to 65 kilograms, and his blood pressure has fallen to 90/130.

“They cannot even measure his heart rate or oxygen saturation. When we raised this with the prison authorities, they told us it’s the doctor’s responsibility, not theirs,” the family said.

The family is calling for Hasanli to be transferred immediately to a medical facility. Prison authorities have reportedly said that such a transfer would require a formal request from his lawyer.

Hasanli began an open-ended hunger strike on 20 July, stating in a public message that he had resumed the protest after authorities failed to transfer him back to Baku Pretrial Detention Center as previously promised.

In solidarity, Abzas Media’s imprisoned editor-in-chief Sevinc Vaqifqızı and colleagues Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova began their own hunger strikes on 22 July. However, they ended the protest on 28 July due to concerns over the health of their family members.