Bakhruz Samedov's grandmother has reported obstacles to meeting him.

Bakhruz Samedov's grandmother, Zibeyda Osmanova, was not allowed to see him at the court hearing. The closed prison regime allows short-term visits only once every three months.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in mid-November, the administration of Penal Colony No. 11 appealed to the court to toughen Bakhruz Samedov's sentence and transfer him to the closed section of the Umbaki penitentiary complex. On December 1, the court upheld the appeal, ordering his transfer to the maximum-security wing of the closed Umbaki prison for one year.

On December 1, the Binagadi District Court granted the request of Correctional Institution No. 11 to transfer Samedov to a closed cell in the Umbaki Penitentiary Complex. The trial took place in the prison building, and Samedov's grandmother was not allowed to see her grandson.

"They did this on purpose so that I couldn't see Bakhruz. Only his lawyer, Zibeyda Sadygova, was present at the trial. Bakhruz's punishment was unreasonably harshened. First, they put him in solitary confinement, and then used that as justification for transferring him to a closed prison. Phone calls and visits are less frequent there. I am Bakhruz's only family member. "He has no one but me, and I have no one but him. They do this on purpose to prevent our meetings," political scientist Zibeyda Osmanova's grandmother told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

The decision to toughen the sentence is unfounded, and the defense will appeal, lawyer Zibeyda Sadygova told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

In closed prisons, short-term visits (four hours) are permitted once a quarter, and long-term visits (three days) are permitted once every six months, human rights activist and head of the Center for Monitoring Political Prisoners Elshan Gasanov explained to a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

Furthermore, in a closed prison, prisoners are held in confined cells and are only allowed one hour of exercise per day, while in a general prison, they are free to move around the facility throughout the day. In the general penal colony, short visits are granted once a week, and longer meetings are granted once a quarter, Hasanov explained.

A Binagadi court employee confirmed that at a hearing chaired by Judge Samir Nasibov, the request by the Penitentiary Service No. 11 to tighten Samadov's sentence was upheld. A Caucasian Knot correspondent was unable to obtain comment from the Azerbaijan Penitentiary Service.