ALLEGED COUP PLOT DETAINEES TRANSFERRED TO STATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 001109 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/28/2016 TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM AJ SUBJECT: ALLEGED COUP PLOT DETAINEES TRANSFERRED TO STATE MEDICAL FACILITIES REF: BAKU 839 Classified By: ACTING DCM JOAN POLASCHIK PER 1.4(B,D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Detained former minister Farhad Aliyev and former presidential aide Akif Muradverdiyev were transferred out of the Ministry of National Security (MNS) detention facility into separate state-run medical facilities operated by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) over the past week, reportedly due to a decline in their health. According to his lawyer, Aliyev, who suffers from a pre-existing cardiac condition, has begun a second hunger strike to protest his transfer from the MNS detention facility. Separately, former minister Ali Insanov was reported to have suffered from a heart attack. His attorney denied this report, but said that Insanov is not being given access to adequate medical attention. Human rights activists who have visited the group in detention report that Aliyev and Muradverdiyev are getting appropriate medical treatment. They are more worried about Insanov, whose condition reportedly had steadily deteriorated in detention. ICRC officials report that, in their view, the detainees continue to receive adequate access to medical treatment. ICRC plans to visit the detainees at their respective locations next week. END SUMMARY ALIYEV ON SECOND HUNGER STRIKE -------------- ¶2. (C) According to former Minister of Economic Development Farhad Aliyev's lawyer, Aliyev is on a hunger strike to protest his July 22 transfer from MNS detention to an MOJ medical facility. Aliyev's lawyer told Emboffs that Aliyev said he had been told that he was being taken to a State Border Service medical facility - considered to be better equipped than other facilities - and not the MOJ clinic. His lawyers said they were against the transfer, as they wanted Aliyev to be taken to a specialized cardio-pulmonary hospital. The lawyer alleges that the MOJ medical facility does not have a cardiology department, and that the only cardiologist on staff is currently on vacation. (The ICRC will visit the facility early next week and report its assessment.) ¶3. (C) Aliyev's previous 48-hour hunger strike took place at the beginning of July; he then announced through his lawyers that he would strike again to protest his continued pre-trial detention and draw attention to his case. At that time, Aliyev's attorney reported that he was "determined to starve to death." Aliyev suffers from pre-existing heart problems and high blood pressure, which his lawyers argue have worsened over the course of his nine month detention. Human rights monitor Elchin Behbudov visited Aliyev in detention on June 30 and told Emboffs that he found Aliyev to be in "normal" condition at that time. INSANOV AND MURADVERDIYEV'S HEALTH POOR -------------- ¶4. (C) Press reports during the week of July 17 alleged that Ali Insanov, jailed former Minister of Health, had suffered from a heart attack, with one newspaper alleging (wrongly) that he had died. Insanov's attorney denied the press reports, but argued that Insanov is not being given access to adequate medical attention. Behbudov also visited Insanov on June 30, and reported that at that time, he was in very poor health. ¶5. (C) Former presidential aide Akif Muradverdiyev is also reported to be in poor health. Press reports allege that Muradverdiyev suffered from a mild stroke. We have not yet received independent confirmation of the veracity of this report. Muradverdiyev is now being treated at an MOJ medical clinic. ICRC: GOAJ GRANTING ADEQUATE MEDICAL ACCESS -------------- ¶6. (C) ICRC Chief of Mission Mary Werntz (strictly protect) told Poloff July 26 that the ICRC believed the GOAJ was providing the detainees with adequate access to medical treatment. Werntz added that the GOAJ appeared to be facilitating the detainees' access to medical treatment at a level surpassing the care accorded an ordinary citizen in pre-trial detention. However, Wernts noted that the quality of state-provided medical care did not meet western standards. She added that ICRC investigators would visit the medical facilities and the MNS early next week and apprise us of their findings. COMMENT -------------- BAKU 00001109 002 OF 002 ¶7. (C) COMMENT: Based on information provided by the ICRC and independent human rights monitors, we have no reason to believe the GOAJ is not providing appropriate medical care to the detainees. We continue to urge the GOAJ to respect all detainees' human rights and abide by international standards for due process in the pre-trial investigation and detention of the alleged coup plotters. DERSE