Imprisoned Azerbaijani theologian left covered in sores

Mansur Velishov, a Shia Muslim theologian serving a six-year-sentence in Azerbaijan’s high-security Umbaki Correctional Prison, has reportedly been left for months without medical care, resulting in his spine and hands being covered in sores.

Velishov was originally detained in March 2023 on drug possession charges. His family and other activists believe the charges instead stemmed from his criticism of the government and faith as a Shia Muslim.

Since 2015, Azerbaijan has continuously linked Shia Islam to Iran, viewing their presence in Azerbaijan as a threat to national security.

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As tensions with Iran have increased, so have the risks of being a Muslim activist in Azerbaijan. Faced with a lack of evidence, however, Azerbaijani authorities have looked at other ways, from intimidation to false drug charges, to get the results they want. On 26 October, Ahsan Nuruzada, a member of the Muslim Unity Movement, a religious opposition group in Azerbaijan, was detained by four men in civilian clothing. For the next three days, Nuruzada’s family had no idea of his whereabou

OC MediaAytan Farhadova

According to Velishov’s family, since December, internal examinations at the Umbaki prison have recorded similar symptoms among multiple prisoners.

‘Sometimes they say it looks like an allergy, sometimes like liver problems. He hasn’t been examined by a qualified doctor. The wounds on his body hurt’, Velishov’s family told OC Media.

They added that some of the sores on his body are now black.

‘He says he can’t eat spicy food because it makes his body itch. But he’s on a diet. He buys bread, eggs and water from the facility, but their prices are five times higher than on the outside’, his family said.

According to them, Velishov has also complained that he faces limited hours to walk around, despite official rules stating that inmates have the right to breathe fresh air from 10:00–17:00 daily.

Previously, in February, Velishov reported that approximately 10 staff members at Umbaki prison handcuffed his hands and feet to his bed and beat him until he lost consciousness.

‘They even tortured the prisoner next to him in the same way. He [also] lost consciousness. As the torture news was shared, let's say the guards’ relationship returned to normal. Now he’s not being treated so badly at the facility’, Velishov’s family said.

Velishov has filed complaints with the Justice Ministry, the Penitentiary Service, the Main Medical Department, and the Public Defender, but has not received any response.

On Wednesday, Velishov told his family that he expects to be transferred to another prison on 25 April. He told his family that ‘unless he was transferred to an open prison, he would not be able to cope’.

There have been repeated claims on social media that Shia Muslims are being tortured in prison.

On 16 March, Samir Babayev, a member of the Muslim Unity Movement, claimed that was beaten during detention and later by the police in the court building.

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Samir Babayev, a member of the Muslim Unity Movement, told his family that he was tortured by police after being arrested on drug charges.

OC MediaAytan Farhadova