Official Baku takes offence at Western diplomats

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has reacted to the statements of Western diplomats at an event on the occasion of Human Rights Day on 4 December. Around midnight, a post appeared on the Foreign Ministry's account on social network X, which said about the ‘inadmissibility of interference’ of Western diplomats in the work of the judicial system.

‘We strongly reject the statements made by the Ambassadors of the United States, the European Union, Britain and Switzerland during an event in Baku on 4 December about the detention of “journalists” and “political activists” in Azerbaijan. These statements are an open attempt to undermine the independence of the judicial system of Azerbaijan,’ the publication says.

Interference in the judicial process contradicts the principle of the supremacy of law, which is a fundamental principle of the lawful state, the Foreign Ministry further notes.

Recall that in the evening of 4 December the EU Delegation in Baku together with the British and Swiss Embassies organised a reception dedicated to the upcoming International Human Rights Day with the participation of local human rights defenders, representatives of civil society, press, lawyers and activists.

The heads of these diplomatic missions, as well as the US Ambassador, in their speeches emphasised the importance of the role of civil society in ensuring human rights. They also noted that the human rights situation in Azerbaijan has worsened, contrary to expectations arising from the COP29 climate conference held in Baku in November. They called for the release of political prisoners.