Turan News Agency,
18, February 2008

Despite facts of tortures in the places of detention and prisons have been proved, nobody has been brought to justice on the matter, Turan was told by the Chairman of the Committee against Tortures, Elchin Behbudov. According to him, 63 cases of tortures were noted in 2007, and four people died this. Six facts of tortures have been noted in 2008, yet nobody has been punished. In such situations the investigators continue "to knock out testimonies" from the arrested. Behbudov noted that most of the tortures take place during first days of the detention; the arrested can appeal for expertise only if permitted by the investigator or by the Prosecutor Office's investigation department.

Behbudov reminded that Azerbaijan joined international conventions against tortures. The facts of tortures are concealed in order not to spoil the country's image, he said. It is necessary to create a task force consisting of the authorities and human rights advocates to expose the facts of tortures. The project has been submitted to the Presidential Office, Behbudov said.