The number of complaints of tortures is on rise. Why?

Baku/11.03.21/Turan: In recent days, complaints of torture in courts have been growing. Yesterday, on March 10, during the trial on a voluntary basis, the guard of the chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan, Niyameddin Ahmadov, said that he was tortured during the investigation.

The instructor of the PFPA organizing committee Ramid Nagiyev recently even stated in his court that the judge, who had earlier issued a decision on his arrest in the Nasimi district court, saw that he was beaten, but did not take any measures: “My nose was damaged, the bleeding did not stop. My head was covered in blood and the judge saw it. "

Human rights activists say that facts of torture are also found in prisons in Azerbaijan. I wonder if there is any confirmation of the torture complaint? Are they usually based on lies or are they ignored by the courts?

In 2018, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment (CPT) published six confidential reports on Azerbaijan.

Reports covering 2004, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017 stated that ill-treatment is widespread in the law enforcement agencies of Azerbaijan, there are serious problems in the process of investigating cases of torture and other ill-treatment, the persons responsible for such actions, go unpunished.

Azerbaijan's official response to the report said that from 2012 to the second quarter of 2018, as a result of internal measures for human rights violations, 4 police officers were charged with criminal charges, 177 were suspended from work, 168 were removed from their posts, 10 were demoted and 1,550 police officers were warned.

Fazail Agamali, a member of the Milli Mejlis Committee on Legal Policy and State Construction, told Turan that it is wrong to express the opinion that there is pressure in one way or another against persons serving sentences in prisons in Azerbaijan. “The situation in Azerbaijan excellently reflects attitudes and qualities in prisons.” The deputy noted that there are practically no facts of torture by any state structures in the country.

“I have never come across such facts. Even those people who present to society more diverse, sometimes exaggerating certain facts, characterized by their radicalism, have no idea that they are offended in the course of such investigations, trials and prisons, subjected to physical and psychological pressure. Those who hold different views in this regard have no basis,” he said.

According to him, the Azerbaijani legislation has been sufficiently improved, prepared and adopted in accordance with high world values.

The member of the committee stressed that serious work is underway in the country to modernize prisons, improve the conditions of detention there.

“I would say that I have not even encountered in the media a problem of a serious nature in Azerbaijani prisons and the fact that in one way or another prisoners violate their rights, put pressure on them,” he said.

Agamaly added that in recent years, the police authorities have been identifying higher standards of behavior: “At the same time, our citizens who violate public order, commit crimes, do not face the same behavior as in previous years. The attitude towards them within the framework of the laws of Azerbaijan is obvious and their rights are protected. Those who are summoned to court are provided with a lawyer, and lawyers are completely free to defend their client based on the law. ”

The MP believes that serious reforms in the judicial and legal sphere are underway in Azerbaijan today.

“I would not say that these reforms have been completed. These reforms need to be further deepened. The negativism that manifests itself in the judicial system in one form or another must be eliminated. In particular, the courts should be completely free from the influence and orders of state bodies, because I believe that such facts still exist,” he said.

Human rights activist Anar Mammadli told Turan that the facts of torture in Azerbaijan were reflected in various reports. "It is no secret that torture occur in places of detention in the police in Azerbaijan," he said.

The expert believes that one of the main important elements related to these issues is the lack of political will of the authorities: “That is, to prevent such cases, the authorities do not demonstrate political efforts, do not show will. It is not at all difficult to prevent torture, to punish those who do it."

Mammadli notes that in some cases the weight of the public in this issue is insufficient: "And the energy of international organizations is sometimes not enough. That is, we are not witnessing serious reactions, sanctions on these issues."

The human rights activist added that this is a systemic problem and has lasted for years.

“Over the years, this issue has emerged and has become a systemic problem in the existing system of law enforcement agencies and justice. Torture occurs both in temporary detention facilities and in prisons, and is applied to ordinary people, some political activists, in connection with which there are decisions of the European Court of Human Rights,” Mammadli said.

According to the expert, if the above issues are not resolved, the problem of torture in the country will persist. –0--