Polad Aslanov's wife complained about the restriction of his rights.
The wife of Polad Aslanov, a journalist imprisoned in Azerbaijan, was denied access to him and was only allowed to speak on the phone for a few minutes. The woman filed a complaint with the human rights ombudsman.
As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on November 16, 2020, a court sentenced Polad Aslanov, editor-in-chief of the online publications Xeberman.com and Press-az.com, to 16 years in prison, finding him guilty of treason. The journalist's appeal was dismissed, and the cassation court reduced his sentence by three years, to 13 years.
The wife of the convicted man believes her husband is being persecuted for covering human rights violations and the cases of political prisoners. International journalist organizations have called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release Polad Aslanov.
Polad Aslanov, who is currently in the Baku pretrial detention center, has been banned from visits from relatives and phone calls, the journalist's wife, Gulmira Aslanova, said.
She explained that on April 15, Polad Aslanov was transferred from maximum security correctional facility No. 15, where he was being held, to the pretrial detention center because the Sabail District Court is considering his complaint of torture.
We came, they took our gifts and food and didn't let us in.
"On Sunday [April 19], we came to see him, but they didn't let us in. […] We came, they took our gifts and "They didn't let me in," Meydan TV quoted Aslanova as saying on April 21.
The woman also complained about restrictions on phone calls with her convicted husband.
"Prisoners have the right to 15-minute calls twice a week. But we were also restricted in this. After my repeated appeals to the Penitentiary Service and the Ombudsman's Office, as well as his own demands, I was allowed to make one four-minute call and one five-minute call," she said.
Gulmira Aslanova noted that the Ombudsman's Office, where she filed a complaint, told her that a response would be provided within 15 days. The woman fears that during this time, her husband will be sent back to the correctional facility, the publication states.
The law provides prisoners in Azerbaijan with two 15-minute phone calls per week, but this right is unreasonably restricted, stated convicted trade union activist Afiyaddin Mammadov. According to Azerbaijani law, prisoners have the right to two phone calls per week of up to 15 minutes each (30 minutes total). According to Mammadov, the wording "up to 15 minutes" provides grounds for abuse.
As a reminder, Polad Aslanov went on a hunger strike in prison on August 29, 2025, protesting the restrictions imposed on him. The hunger strike lasted 23 days; Aslanov ended it after the deputy head of the Penitentiary Service promised him a medical examination and the lifting of the ban on contact with his family. In April 2025, Polad Aslanov also went on a hunger strike in the penal colony to protest his conditions and the violation of his rights. The administration partially complied with his demands, restoring Aslanov's rights to telephone conversations and visits with his family, so he ended his hunger strike two days later.
In January 2025, Polad Aslanov also complained about restrictions on his right to telephone conversations and poor prison conditions.
In 2024, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest point in the country's 23 years of membership in the Council of Europe, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points on the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan." At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.