The former Soviet state known for its flawed healthcare and political system detained on March 20 members of the Muslim Unity Movement (MUM) for distributing free masks and information cards regarding the coronavirus. A day earlier, in his address to the people on Nowruz spring holidays, the unelected president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev openly declared that coronavirus might be used to introduce emergency law and crackdown on opposition. MUM’s health initiative is seen as a threat by the regime since it exposes its inability to provide even basic healthcare for people in the oil rich country. With the oil market collapsing, the regime will be using the coronavirus excuse to clamp down on social unrest.
(Courtesy: IWPR/Eurasianet /RFERL)
