Former political prisoners on the spread of coronavirus in prisons

Baku / 13.05.20 / Turan: On the eve of the Ministry of Justice admitted infection in the jail number 13 of thirty-three prisoners. The report claimed that the infected were isolated and there was no threat of further spread of the coronavirus.

After spending more than 4 years in  jail No. 13, a former political prisoner, NİDA activist Ilkin Rustamzadeh does not think so. “My friends who are serving sentences in  this jail told about  large number of prisoners with fever. This happened 10 days ago. In general, in all penitentiary institutions, the medical units function not as intended, but as “hotels”. Whoever has the money, they stay there. Even in a pandemic, this is so. According to my information, in the  jail No. 13, the club was converted into a quarantine point, which is completely unsuitable for this.

Suspected coronavirus prisoners are kept in this room, where the concrete floor is. Those who confirm the virus are taken to the central hospital,” Rustamzadeh said.  He questioned the infection of 33 convicts.

“The conditions there are such that when one person became infected with the flu, then in a very short time, all convicts fell ill. The institution, designed to support 280 people, in my time held 1,400 prisoners, and now there are 1,200 people. Under such conditions, the virus will spread rapidly,” Rustamzadeh said. According to Rustamzade, 99% of medicines do not reach prisons, and are sold out. But even those that go to prisons are sold for money, close to the market price.  There are no “free drugs." Only those who complain and claim their rights can receive them.  Rustamzadeh believes that the Ministry of Justice's medical institution is not able to treat hundreds of infected people. “Relatives of the infected say that patients are treated only with analgin. The situation is deplorable,” Rustamzadeh noted. “Let corruption be stopped even in a pandemic so that people don’t suffer,” he added.

According to him, independent monitoring system  is required for prisons, including public control over supervision. Current surveillance is aimed at suppress prisoners, and is built on corruption.

 In order to reduce the risk of the spread of coronavirus, political prisoners, people who have served more than half the sentence, and convicted of less serious crimes should be released.  “The authorities are responsible for the lives of the convicted. However, the authorities would prefer that they die rather than be released.  Although during the pandemic, it would be possible to temporarily release the prisoners or place them in some kind of hospital, Rustamzade said.

Another former political prisoner, Anar Mammadli, also believes that in the medical center of   the jail No. 13 and the hospital in the Prison Service there are no sufficient conditions for the treatment of those infected.

If the authorities are not able to provide proper conditions for prisoners, and then let the prisoners release innocently convicted political prisoners and other persons convicted of not serious crimes, Mammadli said.

PFPA deputy chair Seymour Khazi reported a life threat to the former head of the Gadabay region, a Karabakh war veteran Saleh Rustamli, who is being held in jail No. 13. “The authorities should at least now recognize the responsibility, isolate all political prisoners, and then release them,” said Khazi. -03B06-