List of Azerbaijani political prisoners reduced by seven persons

The working group of Azerbaijani human rights defenders, NGO activists and lawyers has released an updated list of political prisoners including 112 names. Cases of other 11 prisoners remain under the working group's monitoring.

The updated list of political prisoners was made public on November 25. "Eight people were released after the previous updating of the list on September 3. Five of them, including four figurants of the so-called 'Ganja case' and the human rights defender, Aliabbas Rustamov, had their verdicts softened. Three others, including Asif Yusifli, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), and two religious activists, were set free after the expiration of their sentences," Intigam Aliev, the coordinator of the working group and the head of the Legal Enlightenment Society, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Besides, according to his story, Eshgin Guliev, a convict in the "Ganja case", died in prison from an illness.

The largest group on the list consists of those convicted in the "Ganja case" – 48 persons.

Mr Aliev has noted that, despite the reduction in the count of political prisoners, there is another negative trend – politically motivated mass arrests.