Human Rights Watch reports increased repressions in Azerbaijan

'Human Rights Watch' (HRW), an international human rights organisation, on 16 January published its annual report on the human rights situation in the world in 2024.

The section on Azerbaijan notes that the government has ‘intensified repression against critics even on the eve of the UN Climate Conference COP29'. In the months before the conference, authorities arrested dozens of people, including journalists, human rights defenders and activists, on politically motivated charges. The authorities continued to violate freedom of expression, assembly and paralysed civil society. Tortures and ill-treatment in detention centres also continued,’ the report said.

Early Presidential and Parliamentary elections in February and September failed to meet standards for free and fair voting. International observers noted the ‘suppression of critical voices’ and described the elections as ‘devoid of competition’.

In January, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe did not ratify the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation due to the government's violation of ‘fundamental obligations’ to the Council of Europe.

A new wave of arrests of critical voices in 2024 continued repressions similar to previous years. In doing so, false accusations were made against political opponents, journalists and civic activists.

In April, for example, police arrested Anar Mammadli, head of an election monitoring group, on false charges. Mammadli is one of the founders of a new climate justice coalition formed before COP29.

Other government critics arrested on spurious charges include former diplomat Emin Ibragimov, economic analyst Farid Mehralizadeh, opposition activist Tofig Yagublu, founder of the Parliamentary Analytical Internet publication Imran Aliyev, and Internet critic Famil Khalilov.

In April, authorities placed under house arrest academician Gubad Ibadoglu, who was arrested in July 2023 on trumped-up charges of document forgery and extremism. He was placed under police supervision in May and is under increased surveillance.

Since November 2023, authorities have prosecuted three independent media platforms  -- 'Abzas Media', 'Toplum TV' and 'Kanal 13', arresting their reporters and other staff ‘on false smuggling charges. Also, 12 media workers and others remain in pre-trial detention, including reporters Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgyzy, Hafiz Babaly, Nargiz Absalamova, Mohammed Kekalov, Elnara Gasymova, Shamo Eminov (released from custody in late December due to the suspension of the investigation), Mushvig Jabbar and Aziz Orudjev.

In March this year, after the Presidential elections, the police searched the offices of 'Toplum TV', confiscating all equipment and sealing the office. At the same time, the police arrested five civil and political activists who shared office space and co-operated with 'Toplum TV'. They are Akif Gurbanov, Ruslan Izzatli, Ilkin Amrakhov, Ramil Babayev and Alesker Mammadli.

The HRW study also refers to the practice of torture in Azerbaijani prisons. In particular, it notes that in July 2024 'Abzas Media' published a detailed report on allegations of tortures made by imprisoned platform director Ulvi Hasanli.

In July 2024, the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) issued a statement on the ‘direct refusal of the Azerbaijani authorities to co-operate with this structure.

The Committee stated that the continued failure of the authorities to co-operate with the Committee is a ‘fundamental and unprecedented violation’ of the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture’.

The authors of the appeal also refer to the persecution of representatives of the LGBT community.