Azerbaijani Ombudsman Elmira Suleymanova has asked the Deputy Minister of Justice Jeyhun Hasanov, who is also head of the Penitentiary Service, to investigate the complaints of imprisoned youth activist Giyas Ibrahimov.
On July 10, Ibrahimov’s lawyer Elchin Sadigov sent an
appeal
to the Ombudsman alleging that Ibrahimov had been threatened and insulted by officers in prison No. 2, and had been placed in a punishment cell without proper justification. The lawyer asked the Ombudsman to intervene to ensure the protection of his client’s basic rights.
On July 13, members of the Ombudsman’s office visited the prison and met with Giyas Ibrahimov, who confirmed his lawyer’s statement.
The Ombudsman then called upon the prison authorities to consider the complaints, draw conclusions, and present the measures taken. According to the Ombudsman, officials denied the allegations.
Giyas Ibrahimov, together with another youth activist, Bayram Mammadov, was arrested on May 10, 2016 after spraying the words «Happy Slave Day!» on a monument to deceased, former president Heydar Aliyev. The next day, they were
arrested
, accused of drug distribution and possession and sentenced to 10 years behind bars.
Both Mammadov and Ibrahimov have rejected the charges as politically motivated. The European Court of Human Rights is currently examining their case.
