"I was subjected to torture in a solitary cell"

Nurlan Libre

Nurlan Libre, arrested in the "Meydan TV case," writes from the detention center:

To the Prosecutor General of the Republic, Mr. Kamran Aliyev, from Gahramanli Nurlan Ramiz oglu

Application (or Petition)

I write to inform you that on December 1, 2025, I was subjected to violence by employees of the Penitentiary Service's "convoy" regiment in the holding cell for prisoners at the Sabail District Court. Specifically, around 11 a.m., I complained to the guards about the absence of basic first aid supplies (gauze, cotton, iodine, alcohol, etc.), stating that the "convoy" chief should provide prisoners with these materials. At that moment, 4-5 guards twisted my arm and handcuffed me, then put me in a solitary cell with punches and insults. They handcuffed my hands behind my back so tightly that the mark remains. With another handcuff, they tied me to a table using the "Palestinian hanging" torture method (Fələstin halqası). After holding me like this for approximately 1 hour, they took me to the courtroom. Only there, after the intervention of my lawyer, did the inhuman treatment against me cease. All these acts of violence were captured by the court's security cameras. My lawyer, Parviz Hajiyev, and five other prisoners brought with me also witnessed this incident.

The name of the Azerbaijani state is frequently mentioned in international reports regarding the inhuman treatment of detained persons. The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly fined Azerbaijan for failing to investigate instances of ill-treatment and has called for respect for human dignity. Unfortunately, the country's law enforcement agencies continue to ignore these calls and damage the country's reputation. Expecting respect for human rights from a country where Ilham Aliyev is president sounds ridiculous.

Nurlan Gahramanli

Baku Investigative Isolator No. 1