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The protection of the rights of persons held in penitentiary facilities has also special importance in the multilateral activity of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmira Suleymanova. For this purpose, the Ombudsman and members of the National Preventive Group (NPG) regularly conduct visits, hold meetings with the detainees and demonstrate approach in relation to the raised issues.

The next visit has been conducted to the Baku Investigation Facility of the Penitentiary Service under the Ministry of Justice without prior notification.

The purpose of the visit organized on the basis of the requirements of the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Constitutional Law on the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was to investigate the received applications, detention conditions and treatment issues, learning the status of ensuring the rights of the accused persons on the basis of the Rules of internal discipline and in accordance with the international standards.

During the visit accused persons detained there were interviewed in a confidential manner in order to investigate the detention conditions, treatment issues, medical assistance, food provision, also the status of ensuring other rights.

The state of ensuring those persons’ rights, their appeals and raised issues were investigated on site, some of them complained about the investigation of their criminal cases, court judgments.

Within the framework of the visit the rights of detainees were explained to them, appeals addressed to the Ombudsman were received, legal advice was given on raised issues, some appeals were ensured on the spot.  

In addition to these above mentioned, within the framework of the visit the implementation of the recommendations made during previous visits of the Commissioner as part of the National Preventive Mechanism was also checked on site, improvement of the effective ensuring of detainees’ rights was discussed with the administration of the facility, and relevant recommendations were given.

Relevant bodies were addressed regarding the outcome of the visit and received motion letters.