Azerbaijan has sentenced a pro-democracy activist to 10 years in prison amid an ongoing crackdown on dissenting voices under President Ilham Aliyev's government.
A Baku court on October 25 found Qiyas Ibrahimov, a 21-year-old activist who belongs to the NIDA pro-democracy youth group, guilty of drug trafficking.
Amnesty International said the charges were a "shocking assault on freedom of expression."
Denis Krivosheyev, the group's deputy director for Europe and Central Asia, said in a October 26 statement that the verdict handed to Ibrahimov was "an absolute travesty of justice."
Ibrahimov and another activist, Bayram Mammadov, were arrested in May for painting antigovernment graffiti on a monument in the capital, Baku.
The monument was a tribute to late Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev, the father of the current president.
Human Rights Watch has called on authorities to "immediately free" the activists and investigate allegations that they were mistreated while in police custody.
Dozens of journalists and activists who have been jailed in recent years have said they were targeted for their criticism of authorities.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
Iranian IRGC Warship Crosses Equator For First Time
2Exclusive: The TikTok Trail Of The U.S. Soldier Arrested In Russia Left By His Russian 'Wife'
3Kazakh Billionaire Buys English Soccer Club
4Xi Heads To Europe Looking For A Larger Chinese Role In Ukraine
5Russia Claims Control Over Eastern Ukrainian Town, As Rocket Strikes Kill 3
62 U.S. Citizens, Including Soldier, Join List Of Americans Being Held In Russia
7Chinese-Made Surveillance Cameras Are Spreading Across Eastern Europe, Despite Security Concerns
8Live Briefing: Russia Invades Ukraine
9Russia Adds Zelenskiy, Poroshenko To Wanted List
10Putin Inaugurated In Ceremony Marked By Western Boycott
Subscribe