Another organization demanded the release of Saleh Rustamov

Baku/30.11.21/Turan: The Center for Monitoring Political Prisoners made a statement which demanded to release the former head of the Gedabey region executive power, Saleh Rustamov and put an end to repressions in the country.

"Arbitrariness in the justice system goes on rising. Illegal arrests, trumped-up charges, custom-made verdicts, tortures - all these are policy tools against critics of the authorities.

Any manifestation of dissent in all strata of society, among the opposition, believers, civil activists, ex-officials, is severely punished.

As a result, Saleh Rustamov resorted to the extremity - a hunger strike against the illegal sentence," reads the statement of the organization which demanded the immediate release of Rustamov.

Also, the statement points at the failure to provide proper medical care for seriously ill former prosecutor Eldar Hasanov, as well as the death in custody from COVID-19 of a number of former officials.

All of these people are citizens of Azerbaijan and have appropriate rights, so the state is responsible for the life of each prisoner. However, in practice in the system of punishment the conditions of detention and treatment of prisoners meet no international standards; prisoners are subjected to pressures, tortures, nor receive timely medical care.

All of this violates the norms of the European Convention of Human Rights, in particular Articles 2 (right to life) and 3 (prohibition of torture).
"We, the former political prisoners, demand an immediate end to the repressions, impleading of those responsible for deaths of those arrested and the perpetrators of tortures, the release of Saleh Rustamov, and a change in preventive measures for seriously ill defendants.

Azerbaijan is firmly established in the indices of human rights organizations as one of the "non-free states", therefore the country may expect international sanctions," the CMPP statement concluded.

Note that the Center for Monitoring Political Prisoners was set up in October 2021 by a group of former "prisoners of conscience" led by Elshan Hasanov.-06D-