Afiyaddin Mamedov, a trade union activist imprisoned in Azerbaijan, has stopped contacting his family. His relatives attribute this to his public criticism of prison conditions.

They claim that restrictions on phone calls were imposed at Correctional Facility No. 2 after Mamedov spoke about the harsh conditions in the pretrial detention center and the lack of medical care in an interview with journalist Ulviya Ali.

According to Meydan TV, Mamedov has been unreachable by phone since the interview aired. The Penitentiary Service has not yet provided any comment on the matter.

Mamedov previously reported that the prison kitchen was unsanitary: rats roam freely, infiltrating food and living quarters. There are only four toilets for 250 inmates.

Afiyaddin Mamedov was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of hooliganism, but human rights activists believe the real reason for his persecution was his work defending labor rights and trade union activism.