Violence in prison No. 17: "Prisoner's head was jammed between the door"

On April 30 it was reported that prisoners were subjected to violence by staff at Penitentiary No. 17. Journalist Arzu Abdulla reported this citing relatives of some prisoners held at the facility. According to her, the facility's staff entered the cells where the prisoners were being held and turned over their beds. They also broke thermoses, took their mattresses and money away.

Allegedly, when religious activist Rovshan Jabbarov asked for his prisoners' money back, the guards jammed his head between the door. He lost consciousness. She added that several prisoners, including Rovshan Jabbarov, were beaten. They had their hair shaved and were put in a punishment cell.

According to Arzu Abdulla, the incident was caused by the prisoners' protest against the problems with water and sanitation in prison No. 17. The prisoners say that they get electrocuted when they use the bathroom. The death of a prisoner as a result of the ceiling collapsing twice in Penitentiary Institution No. 12 shows that the security of prisoners is not ensured. Several prisoners were seriously injured. A building in Penitentiary Institution No. 6 was completely burned recently.

These incidents prove that prisoners are not safe. The prisoners who protest against all this are repeatedly beaten up. They are then sent to the Umbak Penitentiary Complex and other closed-regime prisons. Problems are created for the prisoners who protest against injustice to meet with their families. It is hard for them to make phone calls and receive gifts.

The journalist adds, citing the families of the prisoners, that religious activists constitute the majority in the building of the institution where the incident took place. The head, Shafayat Abbasov, and his deputy, Emin Eminaliyev, "demonstrate a bias" against them. It was not possible to find out the position of prison No. 17 and the Penitentiary Service on the issue.