Azerbaijan's Penitentiary Service denies reports of violations of Ilgar Mamedov's rights in SIZO

In Azerbaijan, Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the civil movement "Republican Alternative" (ReAl), who has been sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, is being kept in the SIZO (pre-trial prison) in the same conditions as other prisoners. This was told by officials from the Penitentiary Service to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. The activist's advocate notes that the SIZO administration has promised him to ensure rights of non-smoker Ilgar Mamedov, who has to share his cell with smoking inmates.

On June 3, Ilgar Mamedov called his relatives from the Shaki SIZO and reported provocations against him. In particular, on June 1, the SIZO administration added two smoking prisoners to the cell of Ilgar Mamedov, was wanted to be alone in his cell.

"At present, five other prisoners are already being kept together with Ilgar Mamedov in a one cell, and all of them are smokers," Fuad Agaev, the Ilgar Mamedov's advocate, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the advocate, the inmates still have committed no provocative actions against Ilgar Mamedov. Fuad Agaev has emphasized that at present, he does not see any need to file a complaint to the court or to apply to the Ombudsman.

In their turn, officials from the Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan treat Ilgar Mamedov's claims as groundless.

According to the Public Relations Department of the Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan, Ilgar Mamedov pursues "an opportunistic goal to achieve privileged conditions of detention that contradicts the law and the internal regulations."

See earlier reports: "PACE President urges Azerbaijani authorities to release Ilgar Mamedov", "Human rights defenders and opposition leaders criticize Azerbaijani authorities for guilty verdict to Ilgar Mamedov and Tofig Yagublu", "AI demands to immediately release Ilgar Mamedov and Tofig Yagublu in Azerbaijan".