Azerbaijan is accused of increasing repression against critics ahead of the UN climate summit

As representatives from nearly 200 countries, along with hundreds of journalists, descended on Azerbaijan in November for the UN climate conference, known this year as COP29, they brought with them a level of attention the hosts weren’t used to — and not often. tolerate.

Azerbaijan has had a poor human rights record over the years, with the government regularly targeting journalists, activists and independent politicians. Human rights organizations accuse President Ilham Aliyev and his administration of intensifying repression of freedom of speech on the eve of the climate summit, in particular against climate activists and journalists.

Aliyev’s father, Haidar, ruled Azerbaijan from 1993 until he died in 2003, and Ilham took over. Both have clamped down on dissent as the Caspian Sea country of nearly 10 million has bathed in growing wealth thanks to vast oil and natural gas reserves.

Elections since independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s were not considered entirely free or fair. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the last parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan in September were held in a “restrictive” environment. They achieved a turnout of 37%, and no opposition party won a single seat.

Human Rights Watch said a “brutal” crackdown on journalists and human rights defenders has intensified over the past two years, with false criminal charges against critics and highly restrictive laws that make it difficult for media and activists to work.

On the eve of COP29, the Azerbaijani authorities continued the pretrial detention of at least 11 journalists of Azerbaijani independent media on charges of currency smuggling related to alleged funding from Western donors.

Azerbaijani government officials did not respond to multiple requests from The Associated Press for an interview or comment on their actions.

Just look at the five Baku critics currently being held in Azerbaijan:

Ulvi Hasanli and Sevinj Vagifgizi

Hasalni and Vagifgizi are journalists and managers of the independent online publication Abzas Media. Abzas Media investigated reports of protests and pollution at a gold mine in western Azerbaijan, reconstruction in the Karabakh region and allegations of corruption against high-ranking officials.

Hasanli and Vagifghizi, along with four of their colleagues, were arrested in November 2023. Azerbaijani officials say they conspired to smuggle the money into Azerbaijan and say they found more than $40,000 in Hasanli’s home. Journalists deny the accusations, and Hasanli said that the money was planted.

“That’s why they decided to eliminate Ulvi and his team … to make sure they can no longer expose their crimes,” Rubaba Guliyeva, Hasanli’s wife, told The Associated Press.

Hasanli and Vagifgiz are imprisoned in Baku without a trial date. Guliyeva described conditions there as “extremely bad” and said she saw bruises on her husband and was told that their meetings and phone calls were being monitored. According to his wife, Hasanli is allowed to see his 2-year-old daughter briefly, but he has a hard time when she leaves.

Vagifgiza’s mother Ofelia Magerramova said that there is not enough water in the prison and the water is not suitable for drinking. According to her, the prisoners “suffer from hair loss, and their teeth are rotting.”

Even though Vagifgizi is in prison, she still asks what investigations Abzas Media publishes, her mother said: “It motivates her.”

Guliyeva said states should boycott COP29 because of the poor human rights record in Azerbaijan.

Gubad Ibadoglu

Ibadoglu is a scientist and economist at the London School of Economics, who was detained in Azerbaijan in July 2023. In April, he was transferred to house arrest after months of imprisonment.

Azerbaijan accused him of selling counterfeit money, but the children deny the charges. They believe he was targeted because he investigated corruption in Azerbaijan’s oil and gas industry and because he is an opposition figure. Ibadoglu’s sons say he also set up a charity in the United Kingdom to work with the UK Home Office to try to transfer money seized by the National Crime Agency from wealthy Azerbaijanis to a charity to serve the people of Azerbaijan.

Ibadoglu is also the chairman of the Movement for Democracy and Prosperity of Azerbaijan, which was denied registration as a political party in Azerbaijan.

His son Emin Bayramov told AP that his father was arrested by unidentified policemen who beat his mother when she asked who they were. Ibadoglu has health problems, including diabetes, and his family says he is being denied medical care. Another son, Ibad Bairamov, told the AP that the International Committee of the Red Cross tried to visit him four times, but they were not allowed to see him.

Ibadoglu also has no court date. His sons accused the Azerbaijani government of delaying it until after the climate summit to avoid negative publicity.

According to Emin Bayramov, holding COP29 in Azerbaijan, while suppressing freedom of speech, brings “shame to the international community.”

Anar Mammadli

Mammadli is a human rights and climate activist who was detained by masked men and kicked out as he was picking up his child from kindergarten in April in Baku. He is also accused of smuggling and attempting to illegally import money into Azerbaijan. He denies the accusations.

He heads the Election and Democracy Monitoring Group, which co-founded the Climate Justice Initiative in Azerbaijan. In an open letter, the group criticized Azerbaijan as “one of the most problematic countries in Europe in terms of political and civil liberties.”

The groups said that Azerbaijan has not implemented a systematic policy to monitor and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate emissions continue to rise, and oil production pollutes the earth, the report says.

Human Rights Watch said Mammadli was a key human rights defender in Azerbaijan, highlighting violations of “fundamental freedoms”. He called for freedom for political prisoners and for an improved legal and political environment for human rights defenders.

In a previous case, Mamedli was sentenced to five and a half years in prison in 2014 on charges of tax evasion, illegal business and abuse of office. Amnesty International said the charges were trumped up, and he was awarded the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize shortly after his sentencing. In 2016, he was pardoned.

Like the others, Mamedli is in jail awaiting a trial date.

Akif Gurbanov

Gurbanov is the head of the Institute for Democratic Initiatives, an independent organization that seeks to develop a more open society through democratic initiatives such as training young journalists, human rights activists and economists.

He was arrested in March after police searched his home and raided the IDI office. Police later charged him and others with currency smuggling. At the same time, the authorities searched the offices of the online news platform Toplum TV and the civil society organization Platform III Republic — both of which are co-founded by Gurbanov.

According to Human Rights Watch, Toplum TV worked with other organizations to train young journalists. Platform III Republic is an organization that promotes debate about Azerbaijani politics, good governance, and offers development strategies for the country’s future.

Gurbanov’s wife, Ayan Musaeva, told AP that he was arrested for his work “protecting human rights, providing alternative information, telling the truth.”

Countries participating in COP29 in Baku, she said, should call for his immediate release, along with “all other political prisoners in Azerbaijan.”

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