UN reports on human rights violations in Azerbaijani penitentiary institutions

On May 16-25, Mr Sètondji Roland Adjovi (Benin), the head of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, and his deputy José Guevara (Mexico) attended 25 penitentiary institutions in Azerbaijan, where detainees and convicts serving their sentences are kept. The UN officials interviewed more than 80 detainees and prisoners and met government officials and activists of civil society in the cities of Baku, Ganja, and Nakhchivan.

Following the visit, on May 25, they read out their statement at the press conference held at the Azerbaijani UN Representative Office.

According to the experts, persons with socio-psychological and mental disabilities were forced to compulsory treatment in penitentiary institutions.

"There are problems with ensuring the rights of detainees on immediate notification of the charges filed against them, access to advocates of their choice, realization of the detainees' protest against their detention, prohibition of torture and ill-treatment," said Mr Sètondji Roland Adjovi.

The members of the UN Working Group have also claimed that "the prosecution is turned into a tool used to silence human rights defenders, journalists, and political opponents."

"In this series, the first to come to mind are Ilgar Mamedov, Khadija Ismayilova and Zeinalabdin Bagirzade. Today, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan has conditionally released Khadija Ismayilova, and this fact will be completely analyzed by us. However, activists such as Rashad Ramazanov and Nidjat Aliev are still being kept in detention," reports the statement prepared by the members of the UN Working Group.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.