Imprisoned OC Media contributor and scholar Bahruz Samadov has complained about prison conditions, accusing the authorities of not allowing him to receive his medication.
Samadov’s grandmother and only living relative, 83-year-old Zibeyda Osmanova, told OC Media that her grandson was prescribed medication by doctors who had examined him while he was in prison.
‘The doctors prescribed him eye medication, anti-irritation, and heart medication. His heart is very weak. He couldn’t sleep well and they prescribed sleeping pills. He says they still haven’t given him a single medicine’, explained Osmanova.
She added that Samadov also complained about the quality of the food being served at prison.
‘He says breakfast and dinner are absolutely disgusting. You can’t go near him. I haven’t asked him what he meant when said that it was disgusting. Everytime when he speaks about such things I’m overcome with emotion, and crying’, said Osmanova.
She told OC Media that prison authorities only allow him out of his cell onto a very small, one-meter-long balcony for two hours a day.
‘Only one inmate is with him and the prison administration took the television and radio from their cell. He is in harsh conditions. He said that the light in their cell is white light and it hurts his eyes so much’, Osmanova said.
In a separate statement posted by his friends on social media, Samadov also complained that he couldn’t grant his grandmother power of attorney to use his bank savings because his ID had been lost.
‘I need to file a complaint, relevant state agencies employees will come, and I should pay a fine and, they’ll issue me a new ID card, then I’ll pay the fee for the power of attorney again. Why should I waste this money? I don’t have the money for these fees’, Samadov wrote.
Osmanova believes the way Samadov was being treated in prison amounted to psychological abuse. She told OC Media that she was struggling financially, and needed access to Samadov’s savings as she had no other source of income.
‘I have only pension and this amount is ₼420 ($250). Once a month, I buy Bahruz food, which he asked from me for around ₼200 ($120) and trying to save ₼100 ($60) for my blood preassure medicine’, she said, adding that she had to sell some of her jewellery to cover for her and Samadov’s expenses.
Osmanova said she regularly provides Samadov with food, mostly canned fish and vegetables and tea and sugar.
Bahruz Samadov
