Critics of the Government have been locked up in an intensified crackdown
Amnesty is concerned that any critics seeking to voice their dissent in the run-up to or during COP29 face the risk of severe reprisals
"The Azerbaijani government's attempt to hide its abysmal human rights record behind a global climate summit is blatant greenwashing." - Agnès Callamard
In the leadup to next month's COP29 climate summit in Baku, Amnesty International urges every delegation to press the Azerbaijani government to end its clampdown on civil society and take meaningful action to reverse the deterioration of human rights in the country.
Delegates should take every opportunity to press Azerbaijan to put a stop to the reprisals against human rights defenders, activists, journalists, and government critics and immediately release all those arbitrarily imprisoned in retaliation for their human rights work and dissenting views.
Since Azerbaijan was announced as the host of COP29 last December, the authorities have intensified their crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International's Secretary General, said:
"Azerbaijan is hosting an international conference on climate justice while actively undermining the main pillars of climate activism - repressing all forms of critical expression and protests and dismantling local civil society. The Azerbaijani authorities have locked up hundreds of people on politically motivated charges for daring to speak out. The list includes journalists, activists, and human rights defenders critical of the government who remain in arbitrary detention, in violation of due process and with no guarantee of fair trials,"
"The authorities are also subjecting dissenters' relatives to reprisals while passing repressive laws to inhibit the work of NGOs and the media. The Azerbaijani government's attempt to hide its abysmal human rights record behind a global climate summit is blatant greenwashing."
Detained activists:
Azerbaijani human rights defenders estimate that approximately 300 people remain in detention on politically motivated charges. These include human rights defenders, journalists, and environmental, political, and other activists prosecuted under fabricated and/or politically motivated charges in retaliation for their criticism of the authorities.
Prominent human rights defender and climate advocate Anar Mammadli has been in pre-trial detention since 30 April 2024 on bogus charges of conspiracy to bring illegal foreign currency into the country.
Economist and political activist Gubad Ibadoghlu was moved to house arrest on 22 April 2024 after 274 days in detention. Opposition figure Tofig Yagublu has been in pre-trial detention since 15 December 2023 on spurious fraud and forgery charges.
Among the detained are: Ulvi Hasanli, Ilhamiz Guliyev, Mahammad Kekelov, Sevinj Vagifgyzy, Elnara Gasimova, Nargiz Absalamova Hafiz Babali, Imran Aliyev, Shamo Eminov, Teymur Karimov, Arshad Ibrahimov, Ibrahim Humbatov, Alasgar Mammadli, Mushfig Jabbar, Akif Gubanov, Ruslan Izzatli, Ramil Babayev Ali Zeynalov, Afiaddin Mammadov and Bakhtiyar Hajiyev.
The threat of reprisals after COP29:
Amnesty is concerned that critics seeking to voice their dissent in the run-up to or during COP29 face the risk of severe reprisals. It will continue monitoring the Azerbaijani authorities' policing of protests, their treatment of environmental activists and human rights defenders, and any reprisals against them before, during, and after COP29.
Concerns for the safety of participants are heightened by the lack of human rights protections and transparency around previous Host Country Agreements (HCAs). The COP29 HCA should include such protections and be made public swiftly after signing.
COP crackdown
The Azerbaijani authorities have faced international criticism for their alleged torture and other ill-treatment of some government critics. In some cases, individuals suffering from worsening health in prison are denied access to adequate health care. In addition, relatives and family members of government critics have also been targeted, either by smear campaigns or by the freezing of their assets through financial sanctions.
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Azerbaijan has also adopted restrictive laws that excessively regulate the work of media and NGOs in recent years, while peaceful protests have been severely restricted for over a decade.
Azerbaijan: The Human Rights Situation in Azerbaijan ahead of COP29 (Research, 11 July 2024) https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/eur55/8314/2024/en/
Amnesty has documented how previous COP climate summits, including those in Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, have involved restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Amnesty has also recorded severe violations of these and other rights in Azerbaijan, raising concerns about the safety and security of participants at this year's COP.
