An Azerbaijani activist has been arrested for her social media comments.

The Khazar District Court in Baku has sentenced activist Kenul Akhmedova to 20 days in jail for disseminating prohibited information on social media.

The administrative case for disseminating prohibited information online was opened due to comments the activist left under posts by SanjakMedia and Meydan TV.

According to her relatives, Akhmedova was summoned to the police on January 22. She met with the head of the Khazar District Police Department, after which she was taken to the station and then to court. That same day, January 22, her relatives were informed in court that Kenul Akhmedova had been sentenced to 10 days in jail. Today, Akhmedova contacted her family and reported that she had in fact been sentenced to 20 days in jail, Meydan TV reports.

Akhmedova intends to appeal her arrest to the Azerbaijani Human Rights Commissioner, as she and her husband are raising two children under 14. According to family members, Akhmedova's wife was not provided with any information about her detention on the Ministry of Internal Affairs hotline.

While the activist was in police custody, security forces gained access to her phone and social media accounts. They deleted several of Akhmedova's posts, including one claiming that the head of the Khazar District Police Department had summoned her.

Kenul Akhmedova is known for her criticism of the government on social media and has also repeatedly participated in protests, Toplum TV reports.