17 international organizations called on the EU leaders regarding Azerbaijan
They demand the release of those known as political prisoners
On November 6, 17 international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch, called on the leaders of the European Union to participate in COP29.
The joint statement issued by the organizations states that the leaders of the European Union should discuss the issue of those arrested with political motives directly with the Azerbaijani authorities and ensure their release:
“The Azerbaijani government’s attack on critics has seriously worsened over the past two years. The European Union must now use the rare international spotlight of COP29 to speak out and achieve concrete improvements for civil society, independent media and human rights defenders in the country.”
“Human rights violations have reached a record high in the past two years, with the government in Azerbaijan targeting the remaining remnants of independent media and civil society, including human rights defenders. Among the methods used by the government are politically motivated arrests and prosecutions on false criminal charges, as well as the arbitrary enforcement of highly restrictive laws governing non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This abusive regulatory system effectively denies independent activists, media and human rights defenders legal avenues to do their work, pushing them beyond the law and making them vulnerable to retaliatory prosecution.” – was emphasized in the statement.
The authors of the statement said that the European Union should ensure that economic and political relations with Azerbaijan, including cooperation in the field of energy, fulfill concrete human rights promises in accordance with Baku’s obligations as a member of the Eastern Partnership initiative:
“The state budget of Azerbaijan depends on fuels, and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on EU-Azerbaijan energy partnership for 2022 is an important tool of political influence. The EU should use its political and diplomatic weight with the authorities to ensure that this partnership is consistent with its treaty obligations to protect and promote human rights in its foreign policy. Since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, the government of Azerbaijan has carried out brutal repression against independent media and civil society, human rights defenders, and suppressed most forms of dissent and legitimate human rights cases. In July 2023, the authorities arrested Gubad Ibadoglu, a scientist, anti-corruption expert and one of the finalists of the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. He was placed under house arrest and police custody after nine months of detention, during which his health deteriorated rapidly as a result of the authorities’ failure to provide him with proper medical care. While his investigation has been suspended, he faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted. In April 2024, human rights defender Anar Mammadli, winner of the 2014 Václav Havel Prize for Human Rights of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, was arrested and placed in a detention center due to his deteriorating health. Mammadli’s arrest comes after his organization, the Center for Monitoring Elections and Democracy Studies (SMDT), published an assessment of the conduct of February’s presidential elections, and he and other human rights activists announced a climate justice coalition ahead of COP29. Since November 2023, the Azerbaijani authorities have arrested at least 11 independent journalists and media workers and placed them under preventive detention on various trumped-up criminal charges. This list includes Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgizi, Hafiz Babaly, Nargiz Absalamova, Elnara Gasimova, Aziz Orujov, Shamo Eminov, Mushfig Jabbarov, Alasgar Mammadli and Imran Aliyev. Other well-known civil society representatives, government critics, human rights defenders, and trade union activists put behind bars in the last two years include Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, Akif Gurbanov, Ruslan Izzatli, Afiyeddin Mammadov, Mahyeddin Orujov, Elvin Mustafayev, Aykhan Israfilov, Fazil Gasimov, and Famil Khalilov. there is also Back in July and August, the Azerbaijani authorities arrested researchers and peace activists Igbal Abilov and Bahruz Samadov, accusing them of treason on false grounds. They remain in custody pending trial, potentially facing lengthy prison terms.”.
At the end of the statement, the importance of meeting with journalists and independent civil society, including human rights defenders, was mentioned to the leaders of the European Union participating in COP29 while in Azerbaijan:
“Emphasize in interactions with the government of Azerbaijan that strong civil society participation is essential for effective climate action before and after COP29, and that any retaliatory measures against participants will not be tolerated.”
The statement was signed by Anar Mammadli Campaign to End Repressions in Azerbaijan, Committee to Protect Journalists, European Press and Media Freedom Center, European Federation of Journalists, Human Rights House Foundation, Amnesty International and other organizations.
On September 25, “Human Rights Watch” and 10 human rights organizations made a call addressed to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
The statement stated that Azerbaijan should develop and implement clear criteria for its delegation to fulfill before returning to the assembly.
The 29th (COP29) session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will be held in Baku from November 11 to 22.