The family and friends of imprisoned Baptist pastor in Azerbaijan, Zaur Balaev, say they are shocked by the high level of payments demanded by officials at the prison in the capital Baku where he is now being held.
They complain that payment is demanded before they will give him food or allow him meetings with relatives, his friends have told Forum 18 News Service.
Officials have denied to Forum 18 persecution news agency that such payments are extracted from prisoners.
Balaev lodged a second appeal on 14 October against what he and his fellow Baptists maintain is a "trumped-up charge" designed to punish him for his leadership of a much-persecuted congregation in a remote village of north-western Azerbaijan. The Supreme Court - which is due to hear Balaev's appeal - has a further month to respond.
Ilya Zenchenko, head of Azerbaijan's Baptist Union, told the news agency that if the second appeal fails, all that can be done will be to wait until Balaev has served two-thirds of his sentence and then apply for early release.
"That's if there are no violations or remarks on his record and no provocations," he told Forum 18 from Baku on 14 November.
In a move that Zenchenko describes as "disturbing", police in the southern port town of Neftechala on the Caspian Sea, have threatened local Baptist Jabbar Musaev with the same fate as that of Balaev.
"On 1 and 2 November, Pastor Telman Aliev and his assistant Jabbar Musaev were summoned one by one by the police for 'preventative conversations'," Zenchenko told Forum 18.
"Pastor Telman was not intimidated and is continuing to lead services. But Jabbar was forced not to attend church. They promised to arrange the same thing as happened to Zaur if he appears in church again."
In what he regards as part of the same campaign, Zenchenko added that police raided and closed down a five-day Baptist children's camp during the summer in Agdash in central Azerbaijan, south east of Yevlakh [Yevlax].
"The authorities are celebrating their temporary victory over some of our brethren," he told Forum 18. He called for "spiritual and moral support" from around the world.
Officials denied absolutely to Forum 18 that prisoners are forced to pay anything to guards before they are given food, water, washing facilities and meetings with relatives.
