Ulvi Hasanli, director of AbzasMedia,  has revealed in a smuggled-out report severe mistreatment of prisoners at Baku Detention Centre No. 1, where he has been held for the past six months. He describes a harrowing environment where prisoners are subjected to beatings, torture, and inhumane conditions.

Despite repeated appeals to the penitentiary service, the prison administration, and the ombudsman, no significant action has been taken. This prompted Hasanli to document the incidents of torture and inhuman treatment he witnessed and heard about, culminating in a brief report covering the last six months.

Hasanli was arrested on 20 November 2023 and has been detained at the Baku Pre-trial Detention Centre, known as Kurdakhani Prison (the detention centre is located in Zabrat) since 22 November. Initially unaware of the extent of the abuse, Hasanli began recording instances of torture in January 2024. He details various forms of torture, including severe beatings, hanging prisoners from iron bars, and handcuffing them in painful positions for extended periods.

According to his testimony, torture usually occurs between 9 and 10 in the morning. Prisoners suspected of violating rules or committing crimes are placed in punishment cells, handcuffed to grille partitions, and subsequently beaten, threatened, and insulted by warders. Hasanli alleges that torture has become a management norm within the penitentiary service, with screams and sounds of abuse frequently disrupting prisoners' daily routines. He accuses the administration of justifying violence by labelling beaten prisoners as problematic and covering up their incompetence in prison management.

According to Hasanli's testimony, in March 2024, an operative colonel from the penitentiary service named Rovshan visited the detention centre, acknowledging the torture practices. Despite discussing the issue for an hour, Rovshan insisted on the necessity of inhumane treatment, indicating high-level approval of these practices.

"He...said he is going to make an in-person report to General Mirsaleh Seyidov, the chief of the penitentiary service. [...] This indicated that General Seyidov was also aware of these practices and supported the torture of prisoners. If the management does not approve of such actions and maintains strict control, which officer or prison worker would have the audacity to systematically torture prisoners?" he wrote.

Hasanli highlights that despite visible "No to torture!" posters in Azerbaijani and English, prisoners are tortured weekly, sometimes daily. He names several key figures he says are responsible for the abuse, including Lieutenant Colonel Jeyhun Hajiyev, Captain Javid Gulaliyev, and Ensign Parviz Guliyev. Ensign Parviz Guliyev is noted for his particularly cruel method of hanging prisoners upside down and beating them.

Hasanli recounts various incidents of torture, including the brutal beating of a prisoner named Ilkin Babayev by Captain Gulaliyev and the systematic abuse of others. He describes how prisoners are subjected to isolation cells, with some left handcuffed in painful positions for hours.

Gulaliyev is the nephew of Etibar Pirverdiyev, who led Azerenergy, the largest electrical power producer and largest distribution network in Azerbaijan from 2001 to 2018.

Again, Hasanly reported that in May, a prisoner named Abdullayev was found with severe facial injuries and handcuffed in a crucifixion-like position for over 12 hours.

Before the newly appointed Minister of Justice, Farid Ahmadov visited the detention centre in May, the administration attempted to hide the existence of illegal punishment cells by covering them with solid doors and labelling them as "storage."

Hasanli's report includes 58 instances of torture and inhumane treatment in the first six months of 2024, a fraction of the abuse he believes occurs in Azerbaijani detention centres and prisons. He calls for a thorough investigation and accountability for those responsible to stop the systematic torture.

Previously, Ulvi Hasanli led numerous pro-democracy youth organisations, including Dalga, Free Youth Movement and the NIDA youth movement. He has been leading AbzasMedia since 2016. According to Amnesty International, in 2022, he was one of three journalists who appealed against legislation obliging all media outlets to register with the state media registry under the threat of closure. He also reported on the so-called Soyudlu protests in June 2023, during which Azerbaijani police detained, beat, threatened, or obstructed the work of at least six journalists, including Hasanli.