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.