Azerbaijan ranks among the least free countries in the world, according to global democracy watchdog Freedom House – ranking even lower than Russia and Belarus. The Caucasus country continues to hold around 300 people on politically motivated charges, including leading human rights defender Anar Məmmədli, a member of the International Coalition for Democratic Renewal. Məmmədli remains in pretrial detention on trumped-up conspiracy charges. As human rights advocate Emin Aslanov explains in his article, the goal “was to eliminate criticism of the state and its policies from public discussions.”
Emin Aslanov
human rights defender, Azerbaijan/Germany
“Since November 2023, the government of Azerbaijan has initiated an extensive crackdown targeting various groups. While earlier repressions touched on political figures, religious activists, human rights defenders, and journalists, this new wave has expanded its scope to include peace activists, independent experts, academics, and social rights advocates. The goal was to eliminate criticism of the state and its policies from public discussions.
This time, society also failed to react to the repression or was indifferent to it. A state that had unofficially resolved the legitimacy problem with the victory in the second Karabakh war was now acting with the confidence that society would not react. Regarding international reaction, the Azerbaijani state has been able to use its capabilities extensively and minimize possible reactions. The fact that a country hosting an event like COP29 has carried out such extensive repression before the event is the best indicator of this.
The repression included arrests, intimidation, travel bans, frozen bank accounts, and interrogations by state security. Many civil society members, journalists, activists, and independent thinkers fled the country to escape this repression and now face the hardships of exile, including documentation and financial issues. While this is a natural result of repression, the feelings of betrayal and isolation are not. These emotions arise from the lack of necessary support they expected from international human rights organizations and longtime donors.
We are confronted with a new reality. The state's blatant and demonstrative fraud during the recent presidential elections on November 7, 2024, and the parliamentary elections on September 1, 2024, along with its indifference to local and international criticism, conveys a clear message to all of us. It indicates that the government has chosen an authoritarian approach to political governance, and this issue should no longer be questioned.
Recently, the government has abandoned any commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Terms like "reforms" and "human rights" are rarely mentioned by officials. By rejecting international human rights conventions, Azerbaijan openly defies these norms. This behavior conveys a clear message: the Azerbaijani government believes its authoritarian governance should go unquestioned and be accepted by all.
Azerbaijan currently exemplifies a classic form of authoritarianism, heavily reliant on its rich oil and gas resources. Political power is entirely centralized, with all economic, political, social, and cultural decisions originating from a single source. The struggle against this authoritarianism – which may take on slightly different forms – requires exploring new strategies, as the effectiveness of traditional methods has nearly been exhausted. Azerbaijani civil society and politically active individuals must now consider this new reality, recognizing that it is not merely a dead end. Instead, this crisis presents new opportunities for change. Nothing is over yet.“
During the plenary session of the 28th Forum 2000 Conference, a solidarity statement was proposed, calling for the immediate release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan. It also urged the international community to apply pressure on the Azerbaijani regime to address this critical issue, particularly in the context of the COP29 climate change conference, which has held in Baku this year.
The views expressed in these works are the responsibility of its authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forum 2000 Foundation or its staff.
