Jailed Journalist Polad Aslanov Denied Family Visits and Phone Access

Journalist Polad Aslanov

Journalist Polad Aslanov, currently held at Baku Investigation Isolator, has been denied family visits and his phone rights have been severely restricted, his wife Gulmira Aslanova told Meydan TV on April 21.

According to Gulmira Aslanova, her husband was transferred on April 15 from Prison No. 15 to the Baku Investigation Isolator ahead of a court hearing scheduled for April 17 concerning his torture complaint. The head of the isolator, Elnur Ismayilov, initially promised a visit would be allowed, but subsequently cancelled it. The family was turned away and even the food packages they brought were refused.

She also reported that despite prisoners being legally entitled to two 15-minute phone calls per week, Polad Aslanov has been virtually cut off. Only after multiple appeals to the Ombudsman's Office and the Penitentiary Service were two brief calls — of four and five minutes respectively — permitted.

Polad Aslanov has been imprisoned since June 2019, convicted of high treason. He was sentenced to 13 years and denies all charges, saying his imprisonment is retaliation for his critical journalism.