The students are protesting in a bid to get two students readmitted to school after being expelled. The protesters claim the expulsion was politically motivated. The authorities say they were thrown out because of bad grades.
In addition to the two expelled students, the hunger strikers include members of the youth movements Maqam! (Enough!) and Yeni Fikir (New Thinking).
Doctors have advised one of the protestors to stop his hunger strike on health grounds.
Yeni Fikir, Maqam!, and the youth branch of the Popular Front Party sent President Ilham Aliyev a letter on 4 January in which they demanded that he take action in the case.
(Turan)
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