On the fourth day of their hunger strike, three female journalists from “Abzas Media” held in Baku Pretrial Detention Center have released a public statement.

Here is their message:

"Since we began our hunger strike, water has almost completely been cut off in the facility. Water is only given for half an hour in the morning and evening. In that short time, 153 women cannot wash themselves, clean their dishes, or fill their empty water containers.

July 23 was supposed to be our hot water day. Normally, hot water is supplied for three hours on that day - but this time, it wasn’t provided at all.

On the evening of July 23, cold water was turned on for only 15 minutes. Prisoners banged on the doors demanding water that it was turned on - and even then, it was quickly shut off again.

During the extreme heat, when the cells feel like they’re burning, more than 350 detainees across three floors of the detention centre are suffering. Prisoners can’t even find a handful of water to wash their hands and faces.

Some inmates say that the water is being cut off because of our hunger strike. This way, they are trying to turn other detainees against us.

We call on the leadership of the Penitentiary Service to stop this kind of torture.

We know that the goal is to provoke the other inmates into attacking us and causing harm when we encounter them.

We believe these injustices are happening with the permission of Ilham Aliyev, and we will hold him responsible for anything that happens to us."

Sevinj, Nargiz, Elnara

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Sevinj Vagifgizi, editor-in-chief of “Abzas Media”, along with reporters Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova, began an indefinite hunger strike on July 22.

They are demanding the return of “Abzas Media”s detained director Ulvi Hasanli to the Baku Pretrial Detention Center. Hasanli began his own indefinite hunger strike on July 20. His family reported that he was placed in a punishment cell on July 21 and has now been on hunger strike for six days.