Foreword After the Republic of Azerbaijan regained its independence at the end of the XX century, through the conducted legal reforms, the establishment of democratic and legal statehood, protection of human rights as a prime value, giving higher priority to the interests of human beings and the society have been set as priorities of the state policy. During the short period of the country’s independence the national legal framework has been improved and brought in line with European standards. The majority of the adopted laws, regardless of the spheres they regulate, directly or indirectly serve to more reliable protection of human rights. Along with constantly improving the national legislation, our Republic has ratified numerous international treaties, including the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by the Law of 31 May 1996, the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and Protocols No.1 and 2 thereto by the Law of 25 December 2001. Along with the legislative reforms carried out in the country, the institutional reforms effected with regard to the conditions of detention and treatment of persons deprived of their liberty should be specifically stressed. It should be mentioned that numerous decrees have recently been signed for the implementation of legislative, institutional and other actions aiming to improve the operation of temporary detention places, investigatory isolators and penitentiary institutions, increase the quality of detention conditions and medical services, train professional personnel for such institutions, enhance their qualifications and capacities, and strengthen the material and technical basis of the above mentioned institutions. Meanwhile, it should also be stressed that yet in 1999 the investigatory isolators under the Ministry of Internal Affairs were subordinated to the Ministry of Justice in order to implement a unified rehabilitation policy and bring the operation of the investigatory isolators in line with the standards of the Council of Europe which the Republic of Azerbaijan has become a member of since 2001. That in 2004 the Health Office’s subordination to the Head Office for Execution of Court Decisions (presently the Penitentiary Service) was abolished and it 3