Human rights activists draw attention to the problems of the prison system

Community Alliance "Azerbaijan has no political prisoners" on Thursday organized a hearing dedicated to discussing the situation in prisons.

Participants in the event, held in the Media Center of the Institute of Reporters Freedom and Safety, discussed the implementation of the law "On ensuring the rights freedoms in prisons."

The meeting was attended by former political prisoners, lawyers, social activists, human rights defenders.

At the same time, the meeting was reproached for not a manifestation of interest in these discussions, representatives of international organizations, including the OSCE, Ministry of Justice, the Prison Service, the Public Council to monitor the penitentiaries at the Ministry of Justice.

Panelists stated facts of  prosperity bribery, lawlessness, torture in prisons.

"We have information about what's going on in Guantanamo, tortures in  prisons of Russia, Georgia and other countries. However, the Azerbaijani public knows nothing about tortures in the prisons of the country. Independent human rights activists  are not allowed to conduct  monitoring in prisons,"  said the former "prisoner of conscience", Elshan Hasanov. The meeting participants  noted the implementation of the legislation is not about the rights of prisoners.

"Despite the requirement of the law, arrested citizens are still not allowed to communicate with their  family  members on the phone,  read  papers,  speak on  cell phone at their own expense, to meet with lawyers at the desired time. Provision of the law  on making purchases in prison are not followed too. There is not even a normal environment for  taking bath, or other natural needs. Prison cells are divided into several types: the so-called "gourmet", "normal" and "black",  said the lawyer Elchin Namazov.

The former "prisoner of conscience" Oktay  Gyulalyev said that  when he was kept in  jail in Shuvelan jail for  six days, he was not allowed  to inform his relatives.

" The convicted are not allowed meetings. In these matters, there is discrimination," said Gyulalyev.

Human rights activists noted that  most prisoners  have been convicted on trumped-up charges.

According to them, the rights of prisoners in the provision of food, safe life, freedom of religion, the right to medical care, complaint,  are violated. 

"My son, Sayid Dadashbeyli  has been kept in jail for  six years on trumped-up charges. He still does not know the reasons for his arrest. The indictment says that Sayid "and his group" overthrew power in Azerbaijan and was President of the country (?) for a month. My son and the other nine  people arrested with him during the investigation were beaten almost every day.

One of them, in 2007, died from torture," said the mother of Sayid Dadashbeyli.

Human rights activists have noted the need to protect the rights of all those imprisoned on trumped up charges, and strengthen cooperation in this matter.

"All public committees must unite and coordinate from a single center. Thousands of innocent people in prison are suffering," said the former" prisoner of conscience  Tural Abbasli.

According to him, the state-appointed lawyers almost  in all cases work in favor of the prosecution.

There should be public control over such lawyers, said the former prisoner journalist Abdullah Jafarli.  Special attention was drawn to the  case of the journalist Avaz Zeynalli and  public activist, Hilal Mammadov.

"In Azerbaijan, the problem is not in violation of any laws, the problem  is  the  political power and the system. Therefore, all must unite against the political system," said  Rafig Jalilov, the  head of the Committee to Protect Rights  of Hilal Mammadov.—03C06--