On 5 March 2019, Mehman Huseynov held a press conference after being released from prison just a few days before. The blogger had served a two-year prison sentence on alleged charges of libel.
Huseynov had gained international attention for a hunger strike he started in protest against new charges that were brought against him in December last year because he had allegedly attacked a prison guard, two months before he was supposed to be released. Authorities dropped the new case against him after considerable domestic and international pressure.
The video blogger said he had expected ‘a surprise’ before the end of his term but did not imagine it would be ‘so nasty and ugly’.
He also criticized a statement from rights activists, the ombudsman and embassy representatives who had visited him in jail and found him to be ‘on his feet’ and ‘in good conditions.’
Huseynov emphasized that he did not ask for special treatment but to end the injustice towards him and other political prisoners.
