Bakhruz Samedov complained about the deterioration of his conditions

Researcher Bahruz Samedov is being held in solitary confinement and is effectively deprived of outdoor exercise. He is not receiving medications or access to information.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in mid-November 2025, the administration of Correctional Facility No. 11 filed a complaint to toughen Bahruz's sentence and transfer him to the closed section of the Umbaki Penitentiary Complex. On December 1, the Binagadi District Court granted the prison administration's request. On February 5, the Baku Court of Appeals upheld the decision to toughen Bahruz Samedov's sentence and transfer him to the closed section of the Umbaki Penitentiary Complex. In protest, Samedov declared an indefinite hunger strike. On February 10, he ended his hunger strike.

In the closed section of the Umbaki penitentiary complex, Samedov is in solitary confinement, reported his friend Amrakh Takhmazov.

"Bahruz reported that he is being held in a small cell. During the day, Bahruz is only allowed out for a two-hour "walk," which is actually a very small balcony of 1 square meter. His radio and television have been taken from his cell, and he is in a complete information vacuum. Bahruz is not being given the medications prescribed by doctors," Amrakh told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Furthermore, he continued, Samedov is still not allowed to issue a power of attorney to his Bakhruz's grandmother is experiencing severe financial difficulties. Her pension isn't enough to cover medication and prepare food parcels for Bakhruz. Therefore, Bakhruz wants to give his grandmother power of attorney so she can withdraw the remaining money from his late mother's bank account. As a pretext to prevent Bakhruz from transferring the power of attorney, the prison claims that he has allegedly lost his identity document (internal passport), so he must first apply for this document, which requires paying a fine and a fee. Then, Bakhruz must pay another fee to have the power of attorney notarized and transferred to his grandmother. However, Bakhruz says that law enforcement agencies actually hold his ID, and he has no money to pay fines or fees," Amrakhov continued.

Samadov's grandmother, Zibeyda Osmanova, confirmed the activist's words.

"Not only was Bakhruz arrested without cause, but his situation is getting worse. He was sent to a remote, high-security prison, put in solitary confinement, and now they're even depriving him of the opportunity to watch television or listen to the radio. He's not even being allowed to give me power of attorney. I'm his only family member. And he's my only family member," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The lack of an ID cannot be an obstacle to prisoners giving power of attorney, a legal expert from civil society confirmed to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "If a prisoner lost their ID prior to their arrest, their identity can be confirmed in a notarized transaction by the management of the correctional facility or the Azerbaijani Penitentiary Service. However, Azerbaijan frequently restricts prisoners' civil rights due to bias, deliberately worsening their conditions by exploiting gaps and discrepancies in regulations," said a lawyer who did not wish to be named.

 The Penitentiary Service could not be reached for comment.

 "In a closed prison, a prisoner is subject to maximum isolation, being held in solitary confinement or a double cell. They are allowed only one hour of outdoor exercise per day. Visits and phone calls are granted less frequently than in a penal colony, and thus they are isolated from the outside world as much as possible. "A prisoner in a closed prison spends almost the entire day in a cell, while in a penal colony, he can move around the facility's grounds during the day," Elshan Gasanov, head of the Center for Monitoring Political Prisoners, said earlier.