Azerbaijani Opposition Figure Faces Dire Prison Conditions, Family Alleges

The family of Azer Gasimli, the imprisoned director of the Institute for Political Management, has raised serious alarms regarding the deteriorating living conditions and systemic violations at the Umbakı Penitentiary Complex. In a recent public statement, his spouse, Samira Gasimli, detailed a series of grievances ranging from severe overcrowding to the denial of basic sanitary and medical necessities.

According to Mrs. Gasimli, the opposition politician is currently held in a four-person cell that has been illegally occupied by six inmates. This overcrowding is compounded by a grave health risk: one of the cellmates suffers from Hepatitis C and exhibits symptoms of gangrene. Despite initial interventions that saw the sick inmate briefly transferred to a medical facility, he was reportedly returned to the general cell at Umbakı within a week, allegedly on the orders of prison leadership and against medical advice.

The report further highlights psychological and physical pressures. Mrs. Gasimli noted that the small outdoor exercise area within the cell is kept locked for the majority of the day without logical justification. Furthermore, the prison administration has reportedly blocked the delivery of a small heating device for food, despite it not appearing on the list of prohibited items. As a result, Gasimli has been unable to consume warm meals since his transfer to the facility two months ago.

Although representatives from the Ombudsman's Office and the Ministry of Justice’s Main Medical Department have visited the facility and acknowledged the severity of the sick inmate's condition, the prison leadership continues to ignore recommendations for hospitalization. This negligence, the family argues, creates an immediate biological threat to the healthy inmates sharing the confined space.

Azer Gasimli, 51, was sentenced to 12 years in prison in March 2024 on charges of extortion to obtain large-scale property. He has consistently maintained his innocence, categorizing his arrest in late 2024 as a "political order" aimed at silencing his opposition activities. While the Prison Service generally maintains that Azerbaijani detention centers meet international standards, they have yet to provide a specific response to the allegations regarding the Umbakı complex.