Blogger Rashad Ramazanov complains about the pressure on the pre-trial detention center

Baku/10.02.23/Turan: The blogger Rashad Ramazanov, who is being held in the Baku pre-trial detention center-1, is being subjected to psychological pressure., his wife Kenul Ismayilova told Turan. According to her, the pressure was initiated by the staff of the pre-trial detention center-1, who set other prisoners on Rashad.

“There is a system of extortions in the pre-trial detention center, where they extort money from prisoners for everything. Rashad refuses to pay, so his cellmates set him up against him, causing problems for them.

Two of his cellmates cooperate with the administration, and they constantly offend Rashad, provoke him with insults. A month ago, I complained about the hotline of the penitentiary service, after which the pressure on Rashad only intensified,” Ismayilova said.

According to her, on February 9, Rashad and his cellmates were briefly placed in a punishment cell. The prisoners were made to understand that they were being punished because of Rashad. After that, a conflict arose between Rashad and the cellmates, the wife noted.

In turn, the Penitentiary Service, at the request of the Turan agency, replied that Ismayilova's statements "do not correspond to reality" and Ramazanov does not have any problems.

* Rashad Ramazanov was detained on May 20 of 2022 year, and the next day he was arrested for 4 months on charges under Art. 234.4.3 (large-scale drug trafficking) of the Criminal Code, he faces 5 to 12 years in prison. Currently, his case is under consideration by the Baku Serious Crimes Court.

Rashad Ramazanov was also arrested in May 2013 and sentenced to 9 years in prison, also on charges of large-scale drug trafficking. Local human rights organizations said that the real reason for the arrest was criticism of the authorities on social networks and recognized Ramazanov as a political prisoner. In March 2019, he was pardoned by the head of state.  ---06B---