Detained Human Rights Defender Complains About Prison Conditions

Detained human rights defender and political prisoner Mammad Alpay has raised concerns about his detention conditions and restrictions on his rights.

Alpay, the chairman of the Election Monitoring Alliance, said that for the past six months, open visits with close family members have effectively been suspended. According to him, during this period, he has only been allowed to meet relatives from behind a glass partition. Although the detention facility administration has repeatedly promised that open visits would be restored, this has not yet happened.

He also said that meetings with second-degree relatives and friends are not permitted, even from behind glass.

Alpay further stated that magazines, newspapers, and in some cases books sent to him by his relatives are not being delivered.

Another complaint concerns the special vehicles used to transport detainees to court hearings. According to Alpay, detainees are often placed in these vehicles in numbers exceeding normal capacity, creating serious discomfort during transportation.

He also said that after court hearings, detainees are not immediately returned to the detention facility. Instead, they are forced to wait for hours, and in some cases for the entire day, inside court buildings.

According to Alpay, these conditions have a negative impact on the physical and psychological well-being of detainees. He said they cause exhaustion and leave detainees in poorly ventilated spaces with limited access to water, food, and sanitary facilities.

Alpay called on the relevant authorities to investigate these issues and take measures to ensure the rights of detained persons.

Mammad Alpay was detained on March 14, 2025. A pre-trial detention measure was ordered against him by the Binagadi District Court. His detention has since been extended twice.

He is accused under 11 articles in two separate criminal cases.

As part of the so-called “NGO case” and the criminal case involving Anar Mammadli, Alpay faces charges including money laundering, abuse of office, official forgery, illegal entrepreneurship, smuggling by an organized group, tax evasion, falsification of official documents, and the use of forged documents.

Alpay rejects the accusations and says his arrest is linked to his human rights work and election monitoring activities.