Relatives have lost contact with the convicted Azerbaijani oppositionist
The relatives of convicted activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Sahib Mammadzade are concerned about his fate, as he has not called from the prison for a week. They fear that the oppositionist could have been placed in solitary confinement.
As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, on December 10, 2024, the head of the Dashkesan district organization of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan Sahib Mammadzade was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, he stated that the persecution was politically motivated. On March 7, the appellate court reduced the sentence to 3.5 years in prison. Contrary to the requirements of the law, after the sentence came into force, he is still held in a pretrial detention center and not transferred to a penal colony, the oppositionist's sister said on June 10.
On March 18, 2024, Mammadzade was beaten by masked men after being stopped at a police checkpoint and taken away in an unknown direction. Mammadzade's sister, who was sitting with him in the truck, tried to film the incident, but her phone was taken away. Mammadzade has become a suspect in a drug trafficking case, the Interior Ministry reported.
The head of the Dashkesan district organization of the PFPA, Sahib Mammadzade, has not called home from prison for a week, his sister Tajira Mammadzade told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
"Recently, Sahib was held in the Umbaki penitentiary complex. However, he did not call home last week. According to the law, Sahib has the right to call his relatives twice a week,” said T. Mammadzade.
Sahib Mammadzade has been recognized by human rights activists as a political prisoner.
Relatives fear that the oppositionist has been placed in solitary confinement. “In Umbaki, a mixed-type penitentiary institution, the conditions are harsh. Here, prisoners are only allowed out into the open air for two hours. Some time ago, a provocateur was placed with Sahib. He tried to draw Sahib into a conflict so that Sahib’s punishment would be toughened later. In general, after the appeal court, Sakhib should have been sent to a general regime penal institution, where prisoners can move freely around the prison during the day,” the activist’s sister said.
She noted that neither the administration of the Umbaki complex nor the Penitentiary Service responded to the relatives’ requests about Mammadzade’s place of detention.
Recall that the PFPA previously stated that they believe that Mammadzade’s detention is connected to his political activities.