Seymour Hazy about the future, and the need for reform in places of detention

Baku/04.09.19/Turan: There is no serious difference between the situation in Azerbaijan, which was five years ago and now. The country seemed to plunge into stagnation, said the journalist Seymour Hazy, released after a five-year sentence, in an interview with Voice of America.

However, he noted some changes. Among them, he indicated changes to the Constitution that are "illegitimate", and serve to usurp power.

"The authorities tried several times to improve relations with the international community, but having failed to change their essence, they returned to the zero mark," he said.

Being asked about the situation in prisons, Hazy noted the need for reform of the justice system. There is a need to change the policy of punishment, which is in a deplorable state.

First, this concerns the placement of newly convicted prisoners with already serving long sentences.

"This contributes to the spread of criminal skills and mentality. It is wrong to keep together those who want to improve and those who cannot be corrected," he said.

The absence of officers is also felt. It is necessary to improve the training of personnel, because in general their level is very low, said Hazy.

Speaking about plans, he noted that he would continue to engage in journalism and politics in the ranks of the Popular Front party.

In the news and reports, Hazy tried not to show his political biases and will try to do this in the future. "Perhaps they will prepare political analyzes and videos."

"The reality is that the PFPA and the National Council of Democratic Forces are at the forefront of the struggle for democracy and freedom," said Hazy. -16B06-