New Criminal Case Opened Against Prisoner Recaptured After Escape from Azerbaijan’s Prison No. 15

A new criminal case has reportedly been opened against Isa Veysalidze, a prisoner who escaped from Prison No. 15 and was later detained in a forested area in Azerbaijan’s Zagatala district.

Veysalidze has been transferred to Baku Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 1 following his recapture, an unnamed officer of the Penitentiary Service told Meydan TV.

According to the source, law-enforcement officers managed to determine the prisoner’s location despite his attempt to hide in the Zagatala forest.

Preliminary information suggests that Veysalidze may have escaped with the intention of taking revenge on a law-enforcement officer living in Shaki. That individual has also reportedly been detained, although their identity and the precise circumstances remain unclear.

An official from Prison No. 15, who also requested anonymity, confirmed that a new criminal investigation had been launched against Veysalidze over the escape. This was reportedly the reason for his transfer to the pre-trial detention centre.

Another prison source claimed that Veysalidze had accumulated gambling debts and lost standing among fellow inmates, which may also have contributed to his decision to flee.

The escape reportedly occurred at the end of the previous week. According to information obtained by Meydan TV, a guard failed to notice Veysalidze’s absence during the evening headcount. It was established only later that he was no longer in the prisoners’ barracks.

Veysalidze, born in 1993 and originally from Zagatala, had been sentenced to three years and six months in prison on theft charges. He had served approximately two years of the sentence. Sources said this was not his first conviction.

At the time of the escape, he was reportedly working in the prison’s industrial zone. The source claimed that Veysalidze had planned the escape in advance and hidden a pair of pliers there. He allegedly used the tool to cut through the metal bars of a window and then through the wire fence surrounding the facility before leaving in the evening.

He was reportedly detained on July 8.

Sources further claimed that prison authorities had issued instructions to prevent the incident from becoming public. However, information about the escape later appeared on social media.

One source alleged that members of a group created under Penitentiary Service chief Mirsaleh Seyidov posted comments denying the escape and praising the service’s leadership. Some of the comments were allegedly written as though they had been posted by prisoners held at Prison No. 15.

Following the incident, security measures and working conditions were reportedly tightened across all correctional institutions. Entry and exit gates were also said to have been automated.

The Penitentiary Service did not respond to Meydan TV’s request for comment.