Prisoners held at the Lankaran Penitentiary Complex say their right to make phone calls has been restricted. This was reported by Abzas Media journalists held at the facility.

They say the lack of fixed calling times is making it harder for inmates to stay in touch with their families.

“Some people must speak to their families at 11 in the morning,” the journalists said. “Our parents and other relatives are working and cannot talk at any hour of the day. Everyone has their own available time. One person can speak at 11am, another around midday. But the conditions are not being created for that. They tell us, ‘We don’t have enough staff.’”

According to the journalists, the last time prisoners were allowed to make phone calls was last Friday, and only at around 14:30. Until then, no one had been permitted to contact their families.

“Our parents see that we cannot call at the usual time and they become worried. Everyone here is facing this problem,” they said.

The journalists also said time limits had been imposed on phone calls. They claim that all prisoners are collectively given a total of two hours of phone access per day, and that each inmate is allowed to use the phone only within that period.

“This does not work for anyone. Some prisoners’ families are simply unable to answer during that time. It is often only possible to speak early in the morning or after work. That is why this restriction has become a serious problem,” they said.

The journalists said they had raised objections with the prison administration, but that the issue had not been resolved. They also said attempts to meet the management directly had been unsuccessful.

“We want to get an appointment with the deputy governors and explain the problem,” they said. “But the block chief, Zamin Aliyev, says the deputies are busy and none of them can receive us.”

Because it was a non-working day, Abzas Media was not able to obtain comment from the relevant authorities.