On June 14, representatives of the Azerbaijani Ombudsman’s Office visited the 15th Penitentiary Institution and met with Polad Aslanov, imprisoned editor-in-chief of xeberman.com.
According to his wife, Gulmira Aslanova, the meeting only occurred after she publicized on social media that Ombudsman officials, who had been at the prison for three hours, had initially refused to see him.
“Polad told me during his scheduled phone call that they were in the facility but didn’t accept his request to meet. After I shared it online, the officials turned back and finally met with him,” she said.
During the meeting, Aslanov reportedly raised concerns about poor detention conditions, the illegal practice of selling medications to prisoners, and that each prisoner was being asked to pay 100 AZN for the construction of a bathhouse inside the prison.
His cell is overcrowded, with three inmates forced to sleep on the floor. Aslanov documented these complaints in a written statement addressed to Ombudsperson Sabina Aliyeva, and was promised a response.
The Ombudsman’s Office has not yet issued a statement about the visit.
Background:
Polad Aslanov was arrested on June 12, 2019 and sentenced to 13 years in prison on charges of treason (Article 274 of the Criminal Code).
He denies the charges, insisting he is being punished for his critical journalism.
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