Muslim Unity Movement

Planted drugs and physical abuse: the detention of Muslim activists in Azerbaijan

by Aytan Farhadova

•7 min read

As tensions with Iran have increased, so have the risks of being a Muslim activist in Azerbaijan. Faced with a lack of evidence, however, Azerbaijani authorities have looked at other ways, from intimidation to false drug charges, to get the results they want. On 26 October, Ahsan Nuruzada, a member of the Muslim Unity Movement, a religious opposition group in Azerbaijan, was detained by four men in civilian clothing.  For the next three days, Nuruzada’s family had no idea of his whereabou