US Department of State on Human Rights Violations in Azerbaijan

Washington D.C. / 23.04.18 / Turan: In 2017, very serious facts of torture, arrests of political and religious activists, and suppression of media freedom continued in Azerbaijan. This is stated in the annual report of the US State Department on the situation with human rights in the world in 2017.

Among the blatant violations are deaths of prisoners, their detention in difficult and life-threatening conditions, arbitrary arrests, lack of freedoms, political prisoners, physical threats to journalists, interference with privacy, and restrictions on freedom of expression.

At least six cases of torture and physical violence have been reported leading to death. In particular, on April 28, 2017, the blogger Mehman Galandarov died in suspicious circumstances in the Kurdakhany detention center. He was hurriedly and secretly buried. The results of the investigation into the prisoner"s death were not reported to the public.

Also reported are cases of violent death and also a burial of five soldiers accused of espionage. Families were not given the opportunity to inspect the bodies.

As for the torture of prisoners, the police did that against the convicted blogger Mehman Huseynov.

The activists of the movement Muslim Unity Abbas Huseynov and Jabbar Jabbarov also complained about torture in the Gobustan prison.

There were threats and pressures on LGBT activists detained in Baku in September.

As a result of not providing medical assistance, the condition of the deputy chairman of the Popular Front Party Gezal Bayramli in jail worsened.

In March 2017, the President of Azerbaijan pardoned 423 prisoners, but among them there were only 5 political prisoners. In total, there are 156 political prisoners in the country.

It also indicates the limitation of citizens' access to legal protection due to the restriction of their representation in courts only by members of the Bar association.

The opposition politician Ilgar Mammadov remains in prison despite the decision of the European Court of Human Rights of 2014 on his illegal arrest.

It is also pointed out that after the publication of the Azadlig newspaper in 2016 there were no significant printed opposition publications in the country.

In May 2017, the websites of Radio Azadlig, Azadlyg and Meydan.TV, and the Azerbaijan Hour program were blocked.

On August 24, the3 director of the news agency Turan Mehman Aliyev was arrested. However, he was subsequently released, and on November 2 the case was closed.

The report was published on April 20 and the representatives of official Baku have not reacted to it yet. -16D-