Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr K. Zarbaliyeva / The families of the convicts sentenced to life imprisonment and kept in Azerbaijani Gobustan Prison are concerned for their relatives' lives after the homicide that took place in the prison several days ago.
According to the relatives, the convicts went on a hunger-strike on 18 June. The relatives will appeal to the Administration of Azerbaijani President and the Ministry of Justice to reconsider the convicts' cases and change the life sentences to fifteen-years imprisonment.
The Penitentiary Service of the Justice Ministry has not confirmed the reports that thirty-two convicts, whose death sentences were changed to life imprisonment, have went on an indefinite hunger-strike. According to the Penitentiary Service, the employees of the Service were sent to Gobustan Prison to investigate the case.
A group of convicts of the Gobustan Prison went on a hunger-strike from 16-20 April. The prisoners demanded their life imprisonment sentences be reduced to fifteen-years imprisonment.
Several days ago, Rashad Jafarov, sentenced to life imprisonment, killed his cell-mate, Famil Mirzayev. A criminal case was filed at the Garadagh Region Prosecutor's Office in compliance with Article 120.1 of the Criminal Code (pre-meditated murder). The investigation is still in progress.