Azernews.Az

The police system was one of the fields that needed improvement and change the most after Azerbaijan gained independence. There was a need for changes in many areas - from administrative buildings to the mindset of workers - after the republic became a sovereign nation in 1991.
The construction and amenities work carried out in the country in the past years and rising living standards of citizens have positively affected the work of the Azerbaijani police. In particular, the condition of the buildings housing police departments, duty service and investigation rooms, and pre-trial detention facilities has drastically changed in the past two to three years. We arrived at this conclusion after an expert group comprising representatives of the Azerbaijan Committee against Torture Ruslan Taghiyev, Elsever Najafov and myself conducted a monitoring of pre-trial detention cells in cities and regions across the country May 2-13. The goal of the monitoring was to examine progress made as a result of the upgrade carried out in recent years and the plight of inmates as well as the implementation of Azerbaijan's commitments to international organizations.
I would like to note that the situation in this area left a lot to be desired in the past. Pre-trial detention facilities and interrogation rooms in the police precincts that were a legacy of the Soviet Union were in deplorable condition and the basements of police buildings were often used for the purpose. However, Azerbaijan's embracing European standards and the implementation of the country's international obligations have yielded the desired result. We can say today with a great deal of confidence that 95 per cent of the Interior Ministry's police buildings and pre-trial detention cells fully meet the standards accepted around the world. Public opinion polls we conducted have confirmed that the image of the Azerbaijani police has improved in comparison with previous years.
During our observations we were once again convinced that the work of the police in the regions largely depends on the police chiefs. If the person in charge is demanding, advocates for justice, abidance by the law and order and citizens' rights, his entire staff is guided by these very principles. This being said, the work of Col. Aghalar Maharramov, who heads the police department in the frontline Barda district in Garabagh, can be cited as an example. After examining the police department's separately-built pre-trial detention facility, its building, duty service and investigation rooms, we concluded that everything there complies with European standards. During conversations with residents of the district, our interlocutors spoke highly of Col. Maharramov's personal qualities.
During the monitoring we witnessed that a number of police chiefs successfully implemented the tasks set forth by the Interior Ministry and worked hard to establish the new police system. These included the police chiefs of Terter Nofer Maharramov, of Zardab Shahi Safaraliyev, of Goranboy Imran Hasanov, Agjabadi Tahmasib Ibrahimov, Samukh Mubariz Guliyev, Beylagan Zohrab Ismayilov, Imishli Huseynali Malikov, Ismayilly Nizami Gojayev, Shamkir Namig Ismayilov, Gakh Baylar Abbasov, Zagatala Faig Shabanov, Ganja city police chief Rasim Musayev, Ali-Bayramly city police chief Shahmar Pashayev, and head of the Narimanov district police department of Baku, Muradali Babayev.
It is true that some challenges are still there and shortfalls remain. Some police departments in the regions are reluctant to relinquish their old-time methods. We have posted the numbers of the Committee's hotline on billboards in all police departments of the country. Unfortunately, the posts are taken off and trashed in some departments as soon as we leave. This happened at the Kurdamir police department. For this reason, the relatives of a person who had been kept in pre-trial detention and committed suicide during questioning on January 6 were able to find our phone numbers and inform us a long time after the incident. After the Committee got involved and scrutinized the matter, the investigator dealing with the case was sacked and the deputy police chief reprimanded.
Thus, we can say with confidence that the efforts being made to eliminate shortfalls in the police system and to do away with stereotypes give us hope that this goal will be accomplished soon. In particular, the decreasing number of torture cases in police precincts in the capital and the regions indicates that Azerbaijan is successfully advancing along the path of democracy.