PPFA activist placed in psychiatry ward of prison hospital

Agyl Gumbatov, a member of the Party of People's Front of Azerbaijan (PPFA) who is serving a prison sentence, has been placed in the psychiatric ward of the Penitentiary Service Hospital.

Despite the fact that he has no psychiatric problems, he is forced to take psychotropic drugs. This was stated to Turan by his wife Aygyun Gumbatova.

"Agyl said he has been provided with so many psychotropic drugs that he is 'lethargic' and very lethargic. The whites of his eyes have turned yellow. He was put in a punishment cell, stripped naked and forced to lie on the concrete floor. I am worried about my husband's condition," Aygyun Gumbatova said.

The Penitentiary Service refrained from commenting, advising them to contact a medical institution. However, the reception desk at the prison hospital did not answer the phone.

Recall that Agyl Gumbatov was detained on 11 August 2021 on charges of stabbing a resident of Zira settlement.

The defense lawyer claimed that Gumbatov signed a confession after the beatings. At the trial, Gumbatov retracted his testimony, saying he provided it under torture.

On 15 November 2021, a Baku court sentenced Gumbatov to 10 years of imprisonment on charges of hooliganism. The cassation appeal was rejected by the Baku court on 7 February. Human rights activists recognized Gumbatov as a political prisoner.