Azerbaijan: arrested journalist complains about inhuman treatment at GUBOP

The journalist Zaur Guliev, arrested after the events in the city of Guba, told about torture and inhuman treatment applied to him during his stay at the country's Chief Department for Combating Organized Crime (known as GUBOP) of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA). This is stated in his complaint, sent from the Baku SIZO (pre-trial prison) to the NGO "For Human Rights".

As reported by Einullah Fatullaev, the head of the NGO "For Human Rights", the Guliev's complaint was received two weeks ago. "We immediately appealed to the MIA bosses for a permit to monitoring of the custody conditions in the GUBOP. Unfortunately, so far, our appeal remains unanswered," Mr Fatullaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The human rights defender said that Guliev's new application, personally signed by him, was received by the NGO "For Human Rights" today. The journalist reports that on March 13 at 9:30 a.m. he was taken, along with Vugar Gonagov, the executive director of the TV Channel "KhayalTV", and journalist Yusif Lazymov (later he was released from custody, – note of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent) to the Guba District Prosecutor's Office.

"There, I was questioned for a long time under psychological pressure. On the same day the office of the TV Channel was searched; and all data carriers were confiscated," wrote the journalist.

Guliev asserts that the journalists were kept at the Prosecutor's Office until late at night in a cold room without any food. Guliev, who suffers from stomach ulcer, despite all his requests, was not given medicines and water.

On March 14, the journalists were taken to Baku, to the GUBOP of the MIA. Here, according to Guliev, the journalists were completely stripped and taken naked through the corridor of the detention facility and placed into cell No. 2; only there clothes were given to them. "They drove us down the corridor, roughly pushing and demeaning with insulting words," wrote the journalist.

The cell was very small, cold and damp; there was not enough air; the bed was dirty; the closet was in the cell, writes Guliev.

There, according to Guliev, his request to give him the medicine was also ignored. They received food twice a day and tea once a day.

It proved impossible to receive any comments on the journalist's complaint at the MIA and the General Prosecutor's Office. These agencies said they had no information about Guliev's complaints.