Jailed Journalist Elnara Gasimova Exposes Exploitation of Inmates in Baku Detention Center

Elnara Gasimova

BAKU – Journalist Elnara Gasimova, arrested in the "Abzas Media case," has written from the Baku Pre-trial Detention Center, detailing the alleged exploitation and systematic violation of the rights of inmate workers. Her account describes a system of unsafe labor, discrimination, and corruption affecting convicted inmates who perform maintenance and domestic services.

These workers, known by the prison jargon "khoz," number around 200 in the Baku Pre-trial Detention Center. Convicted inmates can consent to perform these jobs—ranging from plumbing and electrical work to cleaning and food distribution—in lieu of being transferred to a correctional facility.

However, Gasimova highlights a stark difference in the treatment of male and female workers. While male "hoz" are housed in a separate building with unlocked cells, allowing them freedom of movement after work, female workers are kept in locked cells just like pre-trial detainees. This means their conditions are aligned with the stricter rules of a detention center, not a correctional facility.

The report claims numerous rights are systematically denied to these workers, particularly women:

Right to fresh air: Female workers are deprived of their mandatory two-hour daily walk because their 12-hour workday (from 7-8 AM to 7-8 PM) outlasts the opening hours of the exercise yards. Their only "walk" is moving through the closed corridors of their floor.

Communication and visits: Legal rights to twice-weekly phone or video calls and long-term family visits are often inaccessible. Many workers are unaware of these rights, and those who are receive a "not possible" response from officials.

Days of rest: Contrary to the law, workers are denied weekends and public holidays. In the women's wing, a single inmate worker is responsible for about 150 detainees, working approximately 12 hours a day without rest, which negatively impacts her health.

The letter also details unsafe working conditions and forced labor. Workers are allegedly not provided with protective gear, with electricians handling equipment with bare hands and others using power tools without face shields or gloves. In one instance, a plumber tasked with pest control fell ill after using chemicals without proper protective clothing. Furthermore, the facility is accused of using unconvicted female detainees for unpaid labor, such as cooking for guards, and hiding these women during inspections by the Ombudsman's office.

Gasimova's letter exposes a system reportedly rife with corruption. Wealthy inmates can pay to be registered as "hoz" workers—so-called "dead souls"—to avoid being sent to a penal colony. These inmates do not work and give their salary cards to prison staff, while another detainee works their position for free. Others must allegedly pay bribes of up to 2,000 manats to secure a job or provide monthly "kickbacks" to high-ranking officials from their earnings.

Despite the grueling and dangerous work, registered inmates receive only the minimum wage of 400 manats, which is reduced to 350 manats after deductions. According to Gasimova, inmates accept these conditions to gain a small degree of freedom and to support their families, but the detention center administration exploits their needs.