Five Turk activists in the Qoshachay (Miandoab) district of Azerbaijan have been sentenced to imprisonment by Branch 103 of the Criminal Court Two and the Revolutionary Court of the district.

According to the issued ruling, Arash Kahbour, Ramin Eslami, Reza Pahlavaniyan, Hossein Javadzadeh, and Jalal Koudrilo have each been sentenced to eight months in prison on charges including “propaganda against the regime” and “publishing falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.”

The ruling states that the sentences were issued based on a report by the Qoshachay Intelligence Department. The activities of these individuals on social media, including posts published on an Instagram page, were also cited as evidence in the case. The sentences have been issued amid multiple reports in recent weeks of increased security and judicial pressure against Turk civil activists in Azerbaijan.