Situation in Prisons Depressing - Advocacy Alliance

Public Alliance Azerbaijan without Political Prisoners made public the investigation: "The current state in prisons, the problem of political prisoners and the challenges ahead."

The report on 36 pages is based on testimonies of ex-convicts, including political prisoners, their families, monitoring of trials and convictions. The Prison Service did not allow the preparers to places of detention.

The report noted that the May 22, 2012 Law "On ensuring the rights and freedoms of persons held in custody" gave the arrested and convicted people some rules. The transport of prisoners has also been improved and is arranged in modern specialized vehicles. Prisoners are allowed to perform religious rites.

As for the negatives, the majority of penitentiaries were built during the Soviet era. In this system, the laws do not work in full force, corruption is rampant, and there is torture.

The conditions are bad. Prison cells designed for 4 people comprise 6, 8 and even 10 people.

Even worse is the situation in the prisons, where an area of 30 square meters contains up to 20 people. The toilets and sinks are out of order. In winter, there is no hot water, which leads to diseases.

Prisoners are given bad food and they have to eat food from home.

Meetings and telephone calls are allowed for bribes. You have to pay for long meetings and a shower. If you do not pay, you get into the cooler.

 Cells and barracks are not heated. The air temperature in the winter is much lower than 18 degrees and the prisoners are forced to sleep with two blankets.

There are problems in police custody. Thus, the opposition activist Faraj Kerimli 10 days detained in the police without notifying the relatives.

On August 2, 2014 the father of the PFPA activist Ruslan Nasirli was detained and released after his son gave up to the police.

The report points to the partiality of the courts and the pressure on lawyers. So, the Bar Association expelled Khalid Baghirov who defended Leyla Yunus and other political prisoners.

A serious problem remains with torture. A year ago, Elshad Babayev died from torture in Prison No 14.

The human rights activist Leyla Yunus was subjected to physical violence several times in the Baku prison. The activists of PFPA Elvin Abdullayev and Murad Adilov were also subjected to torture.

In the report, there are "black lists" of prison officials, prosecutors, forensics and judges who committed the most egregious violations of human rights.

It adds that in recent years 20 new political prisoners have been arrested and their total number exceeds more than 90 people.

The report makes recommendations to address these problems and ensure the rights of the prisoners.

The Public Alliance Azerbaijan without Political Prisoners was established in September 2012 by a group of former political prisoners. The head of this body is the human rights activist Oktay Gulaliyev. -06D—