Oppositionist Salaev claims torture in jail

Alizamin Salaev, an activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), who is serving his prison term for insulting a policeman, has told his son about his transfer from the colony, where he was placed into a dungeon for refusing to apply about leaving the PFPA, to the SIZO (pre-trial prison). According to Alizamin Salaev, while in the dungeon (punishment cell), he went on a hunger strike because of torture.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in September 2020, Salaev complained about beatings and harassment. He achieved a transfer to another colony. There, on August 4, Salaev went on a hunger strike in protest against the absence of medical care. Two days later, the court refused to apply the conditional early relief (CER) to him; and Salaev stopped his hunger strike. On September 9, he was placed into a dungeon after he refused to sign a clemency petition.

"The last time my father called me on September 8. It turned out that during this period he was kept 10 days in the punishment cell for refusing to apply to quit the PFPA and condemn the party's activities. The father was hinted that in return he could get out of prison ahead of time, but he rejected such a deal, because he sticks firmly to his principles. While in the dungeon, he was tortured twice," Ogtai Salaev, Alizamin's son, has stated.

Zafar Akhmedov, an activist of the NGO "Defence Line", said that his NGO had received information from the PFPA about Alizamin Salaev's torture.