Azerbaijan: Human rights and climate justice advocate arrested ahead of COP29
Responding to the detention of prominent human rights defender Anar Mammadli, who is Head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre and co-founder of the Climate of Justice Initiative in Azerbaijan, Natalia Nozadze, Amnesty International's South Caucasus Researcher, said:
"The Azerbaijani authorities must immediately cease their campaign of intimidation against civil society, and stop cynically detaining their critics ahead of the COP29 meeting in Baku in November. This has already led to the dubious criminal prosecution of several prominent activists and journalists. The arrest of renowned human rights defender Anar Mammadli is yet another egregious example of this disturbing trend."
"His arrest follows a pattern of abuse of the criminal justice system to silence government critics, which include illegal searches, denying access to lawyers, torture and ill-treatment in detention, and arbitrary detentions rubber-stamped by compliant courts. We call for an end to this sustained effort to silence dissent and for Anar Mammadli to be released immediately."
Background
On 29 April 2024, Anar Mammadli was on the way to pick up his child from nursery when he was apprehended by unidentified masked men and driven away in a black vehicle. According to family members, police then searched Anar Mammadli's house and allegedly planted money. The Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed his detention and his sister reported that he is officially suspected of "smuggling by prior conspiracy by a group of persons" under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, and arrested in connection with the case of Abzas Media. He was reportedly denied access to his lawyer overnight when kept in a temporary detention centre in Baku.
In 2014 Anar Mammadli was recognized as a Prisoner of Conscience by Amnesty International when he was dealt a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence on trumped up charges of tax evasion, illegal entrepreneurship, and abuse of office. He was pardoned in 2016 but has since faced repeated attacks from the authorities and the pro-government media, intensifying in the lead-up to COP29 .
Politics
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On Tuesday, May 21, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov had a telephone conversation with Acting Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani. According to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Bayramov expressed his deep condolences over the deaths of the president, Foreign Minister and other officials of Iran as a result of the helicopter crash.
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On May 21, the Sabail District Court of Baku extended the term of pre-trial detention of Aziz Orujev, head of “Kanal 13” Internet television, and Shamo Eminov, an employee of this media structure, for another month, relatives of journalists told Turan. According to them, appeals will be filed against the court's decisions.
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called his last meeting with Iranian President Seyed Ibrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, "historic." "Our joint participation in the opening of a major infrastructure project on the state border was evidence of the strength of Iranian-Azerbaijani relations. It was a completely open message to both our peoples and the whole world that we are friends, brothers, and will continue to be together. The official statement of the late President Raisi and my official statement made after the opening ceremony had a very serious political significance. Both presidents openly stated that the countries located in the region should actively participate in its further development," Aliyev said today during a visit to the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan to express condolences over the death of Raisi.
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The Schengen visa will rise in price by 12 percent from June 11. The fee will be 90 euros for adults and 45 euros for children aged 6 to 12 years, the Slovenian Foreign Ministry said. However, the increase will not affect Azerbaijan. "The duty for countries with which there are agreements on a simplified visa regime will not change, that is, it will remain at the amount of 35 euros," the answer of the EU representative office in Azerbaijan to the request of Turan news agency.
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