On 16 September, protests were held in solidarity with the Azerbaijani opposition politician Tofiq Yagublu. The protests were held in Toronto, Istanbul,  Berlin and Strasbourg, as well as in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. The opposition Musavat party continued their hunger strike at the headquarters. Since beginning his hunger strike on 2 September, Yagublu has insisted he will not stop until he is released or until his death.

Yagublu’s daughter Hazi stated via social media that her father’s condition is “very critical.”  “His  health is very bad. He is terribly weak. He said that he could not get up without help and [had poor sight] even with glasses,” she wrote on her Facebook page. “Today… [his] blood samples [were taken again]… for analysis. The results are very poor, and a transfusion is needed. The doctor said that there is a risk to [his] life and at any moment we can lose him,” she added.

The Azerbaijani physician Adil Geybulla who is overlooking Yagublu also stated that Yagublu’s body underwent some changes since he went on a hunger strike. “These changes show abnormalities in the functioning of the liver. Therefore, today we started the infusion to eliminate the problems that have arisen. Yagublu's condition can be considered satisfactory so far. However, for a person who has been on a hunger strike for such a long time, any complications in the body may arise,” he said. It is important to note that Yagublu had been transferred from prison to intensive care on 13 September, 10 days after he started his hunger strike.

A day later, it was reported that Yagublu’s lawyer Nemat Karimli held a meeting with the US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger. The meeting lasted an hour and a half, the situation with human rights, the problem of political prisoners, issues related to advocacy and the functioning of the ombudsman institution were discussed.

The impartial figures in Azerbaijan also argued that the measures of the Azerbaijani government towards Yagublu were too strict. “I do not know the details of the trial against Yagublu, so I cannot assess his arrest. However, I can say that I would not want a well-known politician, journalist or public figure to go to prison," said the People's Writer of Azerbaijan, the head of the Union of Writers of the country Anar. “I think that we need to figure it out and, if possible, free the person. Moreover, he is a veteran of the Karabakh war. In general, I am a supporter of the use of milder methods than arrest,” said the People's Writer of Azerbaijan Chingiz Abdullayev. 

The members of Azerbaijan’s ruling elite argued that the opposition in the country is trying to use Yagublu’s case as a reason their demands should be met. Vice Prime Minister and Executive Secretary of the ruling party New Azerbaijan Ali Ahmedov accused the opposition of speculating on Yagublu’s case in order to get out of the "political coma.” According to him, “Yagublu was punished for the crime committed on the basis of a court decision in compliance with all procedures. Now his life has become a tool with which the radical opposition wants to benefit.” 

For reminder, Yagublu, was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months of imprisonment in a strict collective colony by Baku City Nizami District Court on 3 September on charges of hooliganism. In the case brought against him, he was accused of having caused a car accident and attacking a married couple who were passengers in another vehicle. The sentence was condemned by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic, as well as the UK and US embassies in Azerbaijan (Caucasus Watch reported).