Wife of journalist Aslanov states restriction of his right to visits

At the SIZO (pre-trial prison), Azerbaijani journalist Polad Aslanov, accused of treason, is restricted in his rights to meet his relatives and to make phone calls, his wife has stated. According to her story, the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) has begun checking the complaint about the violation of her husband's rights in custody and a biased investigation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Polad Aslanov, the editor-in-chief of two Azerbaijani online editions – the "Xeberman.com" and the "Press-az.com"' was detained on June 12, 2019, on suspicion of espionage.

Gyulmira Aslanova, his wife, said that on August 16, she received answers to her appeals to the office of the Azerbaijan Ombudsperson and to the GPO.

The letter from the GPO says that in connection with Aslanova's complaint about her husband's unjustified arrest, his torture, biased investigation, pressure on advocate Elchin Sadygov, an inquiry is underway.

"In the context of my appeal, an official from the GPO visited Polad several days ago at the SIZO. However, he was only interested in the custody conditions of Polad Aslanov, although he should have investigated the correctness of the investigation and the real reasons for his arrest ... Polad Aslanov is not satisfied with the inquiry undertaken by the GPO. Also, the investigation is practically not conducted. My husband is kept in custody completely for no due reason, without proofs, and on the basis of far-fetched accusations," Ms Aslanova has stated.

She has also pointed to the restriction of her husband's rights to receive relatives and make phone calls. "According to the law, a detainee has the right to have one visit and two 15-minute phone call a week. But we were once allowed to visit him on the 45th day after his detention, and only talked to him through a glass partition. They allow him to make one 4-5-minute phone call a week," said the woman.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 17, 2019 at 05:28 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.