Akif Gurbanov said his writings were confiscated and his phone calls were restricted

Akif Gurbanov

Akif Gurbanov is in jail. He is not giving up. He is the head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives. He speaks for the III Republic Platform. Akif Gurbanov has been writing about the things that are happening to him in the Baku Detention Center. He says the people in charge of the jail are trying to scare him.

Akif Gurbanov is a person in the Toplum TV case. He says that even though he is alone in his cell he still believes in what he's fighting for.

The people in charge of the jail started to bother Akif Gurbanov more on April 25. They searched his cell. Took some of his writings. Akif Gurbanov says these were drafts of things he had already written.. This was a sign that they were watching him even more closely. Then they tried to get his cellmates to say that Akif Gurbanov was saying things about the government.. His cellmates did not agree to do this.

After that the people in charge of the jail told Akif Gurbanov that he had to stop writing things that were critical of the government. They said he could only talk to his family on the phone. They told him that if he tried to send messages to his supporters they would not let him use the phone. Akif Gurbanov said no to these demands. He did not want to write down why he was doing what he was doing. He said that as a prisoner it was his job to criticize the government. He also said that he was not saying anything illegal.

Akif Gurbanov says that the people in charge of the jail are watching him all the time. He says that when he talks to his lawyers they are recording what he says. They are also recording what he says when he is taken to court. These recordings are sent to the State Security Service, where they are looked at and reports are given to ranking officials. Akif Gurbanov thinks that this is being done to stop him from having any influence.

Things got even worse on April 29. Akif Gurbanov was not allowed to make his scheduled phone call because he did not agree to the conditions that the jail was trying to impose on him. He has asked his lawyers to do something about this. He has asked the public for help. Akif Gurbanov said that people who believe in the republic follow the law, not one person. He said that the way to stop him from advocating for what he believes in is to physically stop him.

Akif Gurbanov was arrested in March 2024 with nine activists and journalists who are connected to Toplum TV. They were officially charged with smuggling. They say that this is not true. They say that the government is just trying to silence them because they are speaking out against the government and trying to promote democracy in Azerbaijan.

Akif Gurbanov and the other activists and journalists are still saying what they think even though they are, in jail. They are not giving up. Akif Gurbanov is still writing about what is happening to him.