Reporters Without Borders: "Opposition journalist on hunger strike for past week"

His children, who are also worried about his condition, asked him to call off the protest, but he refused.

A support committee formed by Azadlig journalists to campaign for his release has meanwhile established many irregularities in the way the authorities have handled the case.

"In view of the concern about his health, we urge the Azeri judicial and prison authorities to take great care in this case," Reporters Without Borders said. "We call for him to be released until his trial because he has heart problems. And to avoid any miscarriage of justice, we also call for an independent investigation into the conduct of the police in this case, as Zahidov is adamant that he is not a drug trafficker."

Arrested by interior ministry anti-narcotics agents on 23 June, Zahidov has been charged under article 234.4.3 of the criminal code with "purchase of a large quantity of drugs with the aim of reselling it." The police claim they found 10 grammes of heroin in his pocket at the time of his arrest, but Zahidov insists they planted it on him.

Led by Emin Huseynov, a former correspondent for the news agency Turan who has himself been in poor health every since being beaten by police in October 2003, the support committee says the charges were trumped up.

Among the many irregularities it has discovered is the fact that the driver of the taxi Zahidov was in at the time of his arrest has never been questioned as a witness. Also, as of 26 July, Zahidov's office and apartment had not been searched. And the police have not found any buyer or seller of drugs who might have been in contact with Zahidov.

The authorities have produced no evidence that Zahidov was a drug pusher aside from a statement signed by doctors at the Republican Drug Centre saying he is not a drug addict and therefore must have had the drugs for the purposes or resale.

At the same time, the authorities also say there were traces of drugs in Zahidov's blood because he had a urine test that was positive. But no copy of any drug test report has been produced. Some of the committee's members took a drug test, and were told by an expert that blood tests are not usually carried out in Azerbaijan. The committee also established that Zahidov's name is not on any list of people have been tested for drugs. When asked about this, the health ministry's press office refused to comment.

In view of all these discrepancies, the committee addressed an appeal for Zahidov's release to the national security minister, the attorney general, the health minister and the president. But so far there has been no response from any official.

Zahidov has a reputation for criticising government officials, parliamentarians and religious leaders in his articles. No date has yet been set for a trial. According to his lawyer, Elchin Gambarov, he faces up to 12 years in prison.

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