Yagublu's relatives expressed concerns for his health.

Azerbaijani politician Tofig Yagublu needs a qualified medical examination and treatment, and he is not receiving sufficient medical care at the correctional facility, the opposition leader's daughter stated.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in April, the Supreme Court of Azerbaijan dismissed opposition politician Tofig Yagublu's cassation appeal. The opposition leader's defense intends to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. On May 6, it was reported that Yagublu's health had sharply deteriorated, and he was placed in the medical unit of the correctional facility.

Lawyer Nemat Kerimli met with Yagublu at Correctional Facility No. 17 on May 7, according to his daughter, Nigar Hazi. "My father also called home. There is no improvement in his health; his knee condition is progressing," Hazi told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to her, Yagublu "is still in so-called 'quarantine,' where he has been held for 18 days. The information that Yagublu was placed in a medical center on May 6 turned out to be inaccurate: as it turns out, he was taken to the medical center, where he was visually examined and given an injection, and then returned to 'quarantine,'" Hazi noted.

"The swelling in his knee is causing my father terrible pain. Only on the tenth day was he given a painkiller injection. Because of the pain, my father can neither lie down nor sit. He said the pain only subsides slightly when he stands and holds his leg down. Although he told the doctor at the facility about his knee problems, he was given no instrumental examination—not even an X-ray, let alone an MRI. Doctor Elman Abdullayev merely advised "bandaging the knee to keep it warm." My father asked why, in that case, they hadn't given him the knee pads sent from home, to which the doctor, of course, couldn't answer," she continued.

The opposition figure's daughter noted that Yagublu was even denied a pair of crutches. "It's hard for him to move around with one crutch because the pain prevents him from putting weight on his leg. Even when they took him to the medical center, they didn't give him two crutches or a wheelchair. "This is pure torture," Hazi noted.

She is certain that Yagublu needs urgent medical examination and treatment. "If Tofig Yagublu is not provided with urgent examination and treatment, his knee problem will worsen and lead to serious consequences. The state will be held responsible for this," said Nigar Hazi.

His daughter noted that the family has already appealed to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Justice and the Ombudsman's Office. "The Ombudsman's Office told us (on May 6) that their doctor would visit my father. But it is unknown when this will not happen," she added.

Lawyer Nemat Kerimli confirmed Hazi's words. "Tofig Yagublu suffers from unbearable knee pain, but he is not receiving any effective medical care. He is even given one crutch with restrictions, and he can use it inside his cell. “He was brought to the meeting with me with the support of the guards,” the lawyer told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

The lawyer noted that the practice of isolating prisoners in “quarantine” is used in colonies under the pretext of preparing them for the conditions of the institution where they will serve a long sentence. “But usually this lasts 14 days, when a convict is kept in isolation, and Yagublu has been in “quarantine” for 18 days already and they still haven’t released him into the general area,” Karimli noted.

Representatives of the Azerbaijani Penitentiary Service were unavailable for comment.

Tofig Yagublu was placed in solitary confinement at the end of February. The politician’s daughter linked the punishment to her brother’s participation in a protest in Washington outside the hotel where the Azerbaijani president was staying. In protest, Yagublu went on a hunger strike, which he ended at the insistence of relatives on March 20th.