Political prisoners face threats in Baku prison

Members of the Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners, established in a Baku prison, are facing pressure, receiving threats, and are being prevented from communicating with their families.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, six prisoners at Colony No. 2 in Baku announced on November 24 the creation of a "Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners" (CDPP). The decision to establish such a group was made given that human rights and freedom violations in Azerbaijan "have reached a critical level and become systematic," according to a statement released by the initiative. The statement was signed by investigative journalist Hafiz Babali, economist Fazil Gasimov, trade union activist Afiyaddin Mammadov, former political emigrant Samir Ashurov, activist Lachin Veliyev, and member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Mehman Aliyev.

After the creation of the KZPZ, pressure was exerted on members of this structure, according to a statement received by a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent from Afiyaddin Mammadov, one of the founders of this structure.

According to him, two members of the KZPZ, Samir Ashurov and Mehman Aliyev, were summoned to the prison administration and subjected to threats in order to stop their "political activities." In addition, Mamedov continued, in Penal Colony No. 2, all political prisoners have been banned from “in-person meetings,” and they can only communicate with their loved ones through a glass cage.

“We cannot exercise our rights to telephone conversations in a timely and regular manner. Our names are announced at the very end of the line at the call center, and by that time, the allotted time for telephone conversations usually expires,” Mamedov points out.

He emphasized that pressure methods will not silence members of the KZPZ. “If any provocation is committed against us, then the political instigator – the government of Azerbaijan – and the perpetrators will be held responsible for it,” Mamedov stated, naming the names of high-ranking officials.

According to him, in Penal Colony No. 2, “arbitrariness reigns,” prisoners’ complaints are not considered, and their problems are not are being resolved.

Complaints from the colony are also not being sent to their addressees; pressure is being exerted on those protesting against the arbitrary treatment, mistreatment, and torture of prisoners in order to silence them, Mamedov further notes.

The wife of KZPZ member Samir AshurovNurana Ashurova said that she last spoke with her husband on November 26.

“The conversation was short. Samir reported ‘problems,’ but he did not specify what they were talking about. I understand that he did not dare to speak openly,” Ashurova told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

According to her, Samir Ashurov still cannot obtain an examination and treatment in the penitentiary service hospital due to heart pain and diabetes.

"Last week, the chief physician of the colony's medical center finally saw him. He said that he was unable to resolve the issue of Samir's hospitalization, therefore the decision on this issue does not depend on him," Ashurova noted.

Representatives of the penitentiary service were unavailable for comment.

In 2024, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan exceeded 300 for the first time since the early 2000s. On October 7, the Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan published a new national list of political prisoners, including 392 names.

The largest increase in prison population occurred over the past year, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points on the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan." However, Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.