Sister of Azerbaijani prisoners states he was tortured to death

Elshad Babaev, who was serving his term in a colony near Baku, died as a result of torture; and his body has numerous injuries, said his sister. The Penitentiary Service refutes this information; however, Elchin Bekhbudov, the head of the Azerbaijani Committee against Torture, said that the colony, where Babaev died, is known for its extremely harsh custody conditions.

On December 22, Simuzar Babaeva was called by a man, who did not introduce himself and told her about the death of her 31-year-old brother. He added that Babaev's body was kept by the morgue of the settlement of Lokbatan near Baku.

"I immediately went there and inspected my brother's body. I was horrified: Elshad had traces of torture on the legs, arms, neck and back. The body was covered with wounds and bruises," Babaeva told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "The morgue gave a document, which just confirmed the death, without specifying the reason. I took photos of my brother's body. It looks like he was beaten up to death."

She said about her intention to appeal to the President of Azerbaijan with a demand to objectively investigate her brother's death and punish the perpetrators.

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