Afghan Mukhtarly Called on Fikret Mammadov to Taste Prison Food

Baku / 30.01.19 / Turan: Journalist Afgan Mukhtarly called on Justice Minister Fikret Mammadov to visit Prison No. 16 and on the spot to get acquainted with the quality of food given to prisoners.

On January 30, the journalist called his wife Leyla Mustafayeva, who is in political emigration in Germany, and asked her to circulate in the media his appeal to the minister.

It is associated with the poor quality of food that prisoners are given in the prison.

"The Minister of Defense has lunch with the soldiers from time to time. Let the Minister of Justice Fikret Mammadov come to the prison, taste the food that is given to the prisoners, and get acquainted with the situation of the prisoners," Mustafayeva quoted her husband.

According to her, the journalist is forced to turn to the Minister through the media, since the prison authorities refuse to send his letters to Mammadov, the head of the Ministry of Justice.

In turn, the head of the public relations department of the Prison Service Mehman Sadigov, expressing his attitude to Mukhtarly"s statement about the poor quality of prison food, noted that "food prepared for prisoners is under constant control".

"Food prepared for prisoners is under serious control from the relevant service and from the staff of the prison," Sadigov said.

"For the Prison Service, the main thing is that the physical condition of the prisoners is healthy," he added.

Afgan Mukhtarly was abducted in Tbilisi in May 2017 and secretly transferred to Azerbaijan, where he was arrested on charges of smuggling, illegally crossing the border and causing bodily harm to a border guard.

In January 2018, Mukhtarly was sentenced to 6 years in prison.

Amnesty International has recognized him as a "prisoner of conscience". -03-06