The main objective of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons in the custody of law enforcement agencies, and persons accommodated in prison establishments. The delegation also examined the treatment, conditions and legal safeguards offered to persons detained in psychiatric institutions. The visit was also an opportunity to review the measures taken by the Azerbaijani authorities in response to the recommendations made by the Committee after previous visits.
In the course of the visit the delegation held consultations with Togrul Huseynov, Deputy Minister of Justice, Ogtay Karimov, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, and Nadir Zeynalov, Deputy Minister of Health, as well as other senior officials from the aforementioned Ministries, the Police and the Prison Service. Further, meetings were held with prosecutors from the Office of the Prosecutor General, staff of the Police Academy and members of the National Preventive Group from the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
At the end of the visit, the delegation provided the Azerbaijani authorities with its preliminary observations.
The visit was carried out by the following CPT members:
- Therese Rytter, Head of Delegation
- Dovilė Juodkaitė
- Alexander Minchev
- Ömer Müslümanoğlu
- Asbjørn Rachlew
They were supported by Borys Wódz, Head of Division, and Dalia Žukauskienė of the CPT Secretariat, and assisted by two experts, George Tugushi, lawyer and former Public Defender (Ombudsman) of Georgia, and Olivera Vulić, psychiatrist (Montenegro).
The delegation visited the following places of detention:
Establishments under the Ministry of Internal Affairs
- Temporary Detention Centre of the Main Department for Combating Organised Crime, Baku
- Binagedi District Police Department and Temporary Detention Centre, Baku
- Narimanov District Police Department and Temporary Detention Centre, Baku
- Nəsimi District Police Department and Temporary Detention Centre, Baku
- Sebail District Police Department and Temporary Detention Centre, Baku
- Yasamal District Police Department and Temporary Detention Centre, Baku
- Temporary Detention Centre of Ganja District Police Department
- Temporary Detention Centre of Yevlakh District Police Department
Establishments under the authority of the State Security Service (SSS)
- SSS Investigative Isolator and Temporary Detention Centre, Baku
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Justice
- Pre-Trial Detention Facility No. 2, Ganja
- Pre-trial detention facility No. 3, Shuvalan (Baku)
- Umbaki Penitentiary Establishment
Establishments under the authority of the Ministry of Health
- Republican Psychiatric Hospital No.1, Mashtaga
- Psychiatric Hospital No.2, Baku
- Republican Narcological Centre
