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HRW: Azerbaijani authorities use drug possession charges to silence critics
May 27, 2013 | 16:41
Azerbaijani authorities are using spurious drug possession charges to
lock up political activists critical of the government, Human Rights
Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch documented four recent cases, in three of which the
detainees alleged ill-treatment in police custody.
`Using bogus drug possession charges to silence critical voices is not
new, but the latest cases are part of an intensified government
campaign against its critics as elections grow near,' said Giorgi
Gogia, senior South Caucasus researcher at Human Rights Watch. `These
arrests and beatings send a very clear message to anyone who wants to
engage in serious activism.'
The authorities should conduct independent and effective inquiries
into the ill-treatment allegations and release the activists, pending
independent review of the charges, Human Rights Watch said.
News from Armenia - NEWS.am
May 27, 2013 | 16:41
Azerbaijani authorities are using spurious drug possession charges to
lock up political activists critical of the government, Human Rights
Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch documented four recent cases, in three of which the
detainees alleged ill-treatment in police custody.
`Using bogus drug possession charges to silence critical voices is not
new, but the latest cases are part of an intensified government
campaign against its critics as elections grow near,' said Giorgi
Gogia, senior South Caucasus researcher at Human Rights Watch. `These
arrests and beatings send a very clear message to anyone who wants to
engage in serious activism.'
The authorities should conduct independent and effective inquiries
into the ill-treatment allegations and release the activists, pending
independent review of the charges, Human Rights Watch said.
News from Armenia - NEWS.am