10 February 2025, 21:09
Azerbaijani blogger Rashad Ramazanov complains about violation of his rights in colony
Rashad Ramazanov, an Azeri blogger, convicted within a drug case, has complained about violence from colony staff and poor custody conditions.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 2, 2025, Ramazanov complained that the colony where he is being held is overcrowded and unsanitary, and that prisoners are being pressured.
Rashad Ramazanov (also known as Rashad Agaaddin) was detained on May 20, 2022, and arrested within a drug trafficking case. His wife said that he was being persecuted for his social media posts criticizing Azerbaijani authorities.
"The treatment of prisoners in the colony is very bad. The food quality is low and there is too little time for eating; therefore, prisoners have no time to eat properly ... Hot water is supplied once a week and for a short period. Rashad complained, made it public, and even once managed to call and tell journalists about the poor custody conditions. For defending prisoners’ rights, he is periodically subjected to moral and physical pressure," his wife Kenul Ismailova has stated.
She has noted that she had repeatedly contacted the Penitentiary Service and the Ombudsperson's Office with a complaint that her husband was being pressured and that he was being held in poor conditions, but there were no results.
Let us remind you that the Union "For the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan" recognized Ramazanov as a political prisoner. On February 5, 2024, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes sentenced Ramazanov to five years and four months in colony.
Rashad Ramazanov is the author of books on philosophy, ecology and history. He criticized Azerbaijani authorities in social media. On November 13, 2013, the court found him guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced him to nine years of freedom deprivation. In March 2019, Rashad was released early in accordance with the presidential order to pardon prisoners. After his release, he continued criticizing the country's authorities.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 8, 2025 at 12:01 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medjid Source: СK correspondent
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