Dozens Detained At Rally Demanding Release Of Jailed Azerbaijani Opposition Activist

Authorities in Azerbaijan detained dozens of protesters who gathered in central Baku on December 15 to demand the release of opposition activist Saleh Rustamli. He has been detained since May 2018 and was sentenced in February 2019 to more than seven years in prison after a court found him guilty of money laundering. He has rejected all of the charges against him, calling them politically motivated. Human Rights Watch has called the allegations "spurious." Rustamli has been on a hunger strike since November 6. On December 13, he said he would stop drinking water.