Azerbaijani opposition figure Hasanov's sentence has been increased.

Elnur Hasanov, a member of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), who is serving a prison sentence, has had his prison conditions tightened – he has been transferred to the closed section of the Umbaki Penitentiary Complex. Associates believe that Hasanov's conditions are being worsened for political reasons.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Elnur Hasanov was detained on November 28, 2023, in Baku and charged with drug possession. This occurred after he published a video on social media criticizing the traffic police. The activist maintained his innocence. He was sentenced on August 2, and on September 25, an appeals court upheld the verdict. The party called Hasanov's case fabricated and his criminal prosecution politically motivated. Human rights activists have recognized him as a political prisoner.

 Tezekhan Miralamli, an employee of the press service of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), informed Hasanov about the tightening of the punishment regime.

 "Elnur Hasanov was transferred from Penal Colony No. 2 to Penal Colony No. 13 because he defended his rights, and the administration of this colony, without any grounds, filed a motion to the court to tighten his punishment regime. In general, there have been previous cases where undesirable prisoners from other colonies are sent to Penal Colony No. 13, where they are drawn into various provocations, and then their punishment regime is tightened, sending them to a closed "prison. This is exactly what happened to Gasanov. The court of first instance, without any justification, granted the prison administration's appeal and ordered Gasanov's transfer from Penitentiary No. 13 to the closed section of the Umbaki penitentiary complex for a period of six months. On January 30, the appellate court upheld this decision, which entered into force and was immediately executed, and Elnur Gasanov was sent to Umbaki," Miralamli told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to him, on February 3, the consideration of Gasanov's cassation appeal in the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan was postponed due to the opposition leader's failure to appear for the trial.

"Apparently, the order to toughen Gasanov's punishment came from the very top, so Gasanov's transfer to the closed section of the prison was carried out immediately, "The Penitentiary Service didn't even wait 3-4 days, as is usually the case," Miralamli said.

He noted that after Gasanov's transfer to Umbaki, the prisoner was unable to contact his loved ones.

"After Elnur was transferred to Umbaki, he was not allowed to call those with whom he was in constant contact from prison. We are concerned for his fate. This man is not left alone even in prison. He has repeatedly held hunger strikes in protest of the violation of his rights, and now he has been sent to a closed prison," Miralamli noted.

The Penitentiary Service could not be reached for comment.

involves harsh conditions.

"In a closed prison, a prisoner is maximally isolated; he is kept in a solitary cell or a double cell. He is allowed only one hour of exercise per day. Visits and phone calls are provided less frequently than in a penal colony, and thus he is maximally isolated from the outside world. A prisoner in a closed prison spends almost the entire day in his cell, while in a penal colony he can move around the facility during the day," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.