The repressive machine of the Azerbaijani regime has spread its nets widely over the summer. Baku has resorted to repression against TikTok users who follow journalists and opposition figures, Le Monde reports.

After severe repression against the Azerbaijani opposition and independent journalists in the last two years, it is now the turn of non-political figures who are being subjected to mass arrests by a regime that seeks to silence civil society.

In late July and early August, the authorities of this former Soviet republic, whose population is nearly 10 million people and the vast majority of whom are Muslims, arrested about ten prominent Azerbaijani TikTokers as part of administrative proceedings. The court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from two weeks to one month.

The leaders of the Azerbaijani repressive apparatus have stated that the arrests were due to “blatant disrespect for society,” “insulting public morality,” and behavior that was assessed as “contrary to national and moral values.”

This ultraconservative rhetoric reflects the evolution of Azerbaijani authorities, who have been monopolized by the Aliyev clan since 1993. Although President Ilham Aliyev, in power since 2003, does not tolerate political dissent, he seeks to present his country as a secular republic in contrast to Iran, carefully crafting an image that contrasts with that of his Turkish counterpart and closest ally, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.