Jailed Azerbaijan activist protests over prison conditions and family visit bans

Mammad Alpay

A jailed Azerbaijani activist has protested against deteriorating conditions and restricted family visits at a detention facility in the capital, Baku.

Mammad Alpay, head of the Election Monitoring Alliance, said open-contact visits with his immediate family had been effectively blocked for six months.

Alpay is currently being held at the Baku Detention House while on trial for multiple financial charges he says are politically motivated.

"During this period, only visits behind glass have been permitted," Alpay said in a statement released through his family. "The detention centre management has repeatedly promised to restore open visits, but this promise remains unfulfilled."

He added that extended family and friends were barred from visiting him entirely, and that prison authorities had confiscated newspapers, magazines, and books sent by his relatives.

Alpay also criticised the transport conditions for detainees being taken to court hearings, claiming that transport vans were severely overcrowded.

He said detainees were often left waiting for hours, and sometimes an entire day, in cramped vehicles or court holding areas after their hearings ended. He warned that this caused severe exhaustion, dehydration, and restricted access to basic sanitation.

Azerbaijan's prison authorities have not commented directly on Alpay's allegations, but officials have previously maintained that all detainees are treated in accordance with the law.

Alpay was arrested on 14 March 2025 as part of a wider government crackdown on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Azerbaijan.

He faces 11 charges, including smuggling, tax evasion, and illegal entrepreneurship, which could see him jailed for up to 16 years.

The prosecution alleges that Alpay's alliance failed to register international grants with the Ministry of Justice.

However, civil society groups and international observers say the charges are a continuation of a systematic campaign targeting independent voices who cooperated with international donors, including the US Agency for International Development (USAID).

USAID, which had invested more than $3bn (£2.3bn) in Azerbaijan over three decades, ceased its operations in the country after Azerbaijani officials accused independent activists of acting as "foreign agents".

At least 15 civil society representatives have been prosecuted under the sweeping NGO investigation.