Ulviyya Ali: "Political prisoners are not included in the list of ombudsman representatives visiting the prison"

Ulviyya Ali

Political prisoners across Azerbaijan are reporting deteriorating detention conditions and health crises, while representatives from the Office of the Ombudsman have been accused of deliberately neglecting political detainees during recent prison visits.

Journalist Ulviyya Ali (Guliyeva), who is currently detained in the Baku Investigation Isolator on the "Meydan TV case," reported that when Ombudsman representatives visited the facility on October 9, they failed to meet a single political prisoner.

Ali stated that there are 6 journalists and 6 religious women identified as political prisoners in the Baku Investigation Isolator, yet the representatives did not meet with any of them to hear their complaints. The only female detainee they reportedly visited in the 24-person corpus was the singer Raksana Ismayilova.

When Ulviyya Ali was eventually taken to meet the representatives, she raised concerns that they had ignored political prisoners, including the fact that her mother's repeated complaints to the Ombudsman regarding Ali's health issues had yielded no results. Ali reported that she needs Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Tomography (MRT) due to health problems resulting from seven punches to the head by police on May 7, 2025.

The Ombudsman representatives claimed they were unaware of the recurring complaints from Ali's mother. They explained that their visit was thematic, focusing specifically on individuals with disabilities. However, Ali observed that they failed to check on known political prisoners with disabilities, such as journalist Aynur Elgünesh (who has a second-group disability) or religious prisoner Shargiyya Sadıgova (who has a third-group disability).

Ali concluded that political prisoners are not included in the categories or topic headings prioritized by the Ombudsman Office during these checks. She publicly called for the Ombudsman to visit all political prisoners. Other political prisoners with known health concerns who could have been visited include Anar Mammadli, Ahmet Mammadli (who risks losing his sight due to police brutality), Alasgar Mammadli, Ruslan Izzatli, Farid Ismayilov, Afieddin Mammadov, Shamshad Agha, and Polad Aslanov.

Meanwhile, jailed female journalists from AbzasMedia who were transferred to the Penitentiary Complex in Lankaran on September 25 are also complaining about conditions and unfulfilled promises. The relocation itself—over 270 kilometers from the capital Baku—has restricted their opportunities for family visits. The journalists believe their transfer to a distant region is directly linked to their professional activities.

Journalist Elnara Gasimova reported that since their transfer, promises to house them in a non-smoking cell have not been kept, 14 days later.

Gasimova suffers from bronchial asthma, and exposure to cigarette smoke makes breathing difficult. She and Nargiz Absalamova are being held with smokers, causing Absalamova to experience burning eyes and shortness of breath. They stated that although none of the three detained female journalists (Gasımova, Absalamova, and chief editor Sevinc Vagifqizi) smoke, Gasimova and Absalamova were placed in the smoking cell. The Lankaran complex reportedly only has two cells designated for women: one for smokers and one for non-smokers.

When complex officials were asked when they would be moved to the non-smoking cell, they replied: "Inshallah (God willing) it will happen, be patient".

Gasimova further noted that the prison management is confiscating materials from the independent press that their families attempt to bring them, stating that they are currently held in an "information blockade".

The complaints made by the detainees come within a broader context, as local human rights organizations estimate there are more than 390 political prisoners currently held in Azerbaijani prisons.

The Penitentiary Service has not commented on these specific complaints. However, the Service routinely states that conditions in the country's correctional facilities comply with international norms. Officials generally maintain that no one is arrested on political grounds or related to professional activities, asserting that those named in political prisoner lists are held for specific criminal acts.

Despite the official denial of political arrests, the journalists are among more than 30 journalists and public figures arrested since November 2023, often on charges including smuggling. International human rights bodies have consistently called on the government to release those unjustly detained."