Azerbaijan applied quarantine regime to combat the spread of the coronavirus infection since the mid-March. In his Novruz holiday address, President Ilham Aliyev announced the need for the system of relations in which the isolation of the opposition forces may become a necessity.
In general, after the abovementioned speech of the President a new wave of political persecution started targeting government critics and activists. In first few months of the pandemic only, at least 56 people faced one or another form of the political pressure. 6 people were launched criminal cases against them whereas 33 people faced administrative punishments and arrests. Check the annex for detailed information on people targeted during the political persecution campaign.
Check the full statement here
