In Azerbaijan, rights defenders launch educational resource for prisoners

An electronic library with legal acts, teaching aids, fiction and scientific books will provide prisoners with knowledge about their rights and the opportunity to get engaged in self-education. This was reported by rights defenders who presented the project of the Internet resource "Prison Library" in Baku.

The online resource was created within the framework of the project "Strengthening the Role of Civil Society in Ensuring the Socio-Economic Rights of Sensitive Populations" under the UN Development Programme in partnership with the Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan with financial support from the European Union, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reported.

Eldar Zeinalov, the director of the Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan, has noted that due to self-education, after release from prison, a person will be able to use a specialty and that will facilitate his or her reintegration into society.

The rights defenders have achieved the installation of TV sets in the Gobustan prison with the most severe regime in the country, noted Zalikha Tagirova, the deputy director of the Human Rights Centre of Azerbaijan, a member of the Public Committee to Monitor Places of Detention under the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of Azerbaijan.

"Earlier, there were five suicide attempts at that penitentiary institution every year, but in the last year, there was not a single case," Zalikha Tagirova said.

She has noted that many prisoners show interest in getting knowledge.

According to the rights defender, the most vulnerable category of prisoners is represented by women who gave birth to their children in prisons.