When Azerbaijan was accepted into the Council of Europe in 2001, it was seen as a constructive way to support the country’s progress toward democracy. Like all members, its admission came with certain obligations: uphold the standards of a pluralist democracy, respect the rule of law, and defend human rights.
Over the past nearly 25 years, however, the ruling regime of Azerbaijan has consistently failed to honour these commitments. Instead, it has steadily worked to solidify President Ilham Aliyev’s grasp on power, quashing opposition and dissent and restricting civil society. Last January, the Council of Europe recognised these failures when it refused to ratify the credentials of Azerbaijan’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
This unprecedented step specifically referred to the deteriorating human rights situation in the country. As PACE convenes for its winter session later this month [January], Azerbaijan will again have an opportunity to present a delegation. However, a look back at the past year shows unambiguously that President Aliyev has failed to address PACE’s concerns and improve the human rights situation in Azerbaijan. In fact, the situation has worsened considerably.
Local civil society activists had documented at least 331 political prisoners in the country as of December 2024, including 25 journalists. Those include members of Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Meydan TV, all independent media outlets reporting on corruption and human rights abuses perpetrated by the Azerbaijani government. If, as expected, the sham trials result in convictions, these journalists will face repercussions long after their potentially lengthy sentences – a media law that took effect in early 2022 allows the government to bar journalists’ accreditation if they have a criminal record, effectively forcing these individuals to lose their livelihoods or leave the country.
Human Rights Watch and Freedom Now have documented how the government also uses regulation to obstruct the legitimate work of independent non-governmental organisations (NGOs), making them vulnerable to criminal prosecution. The implications of these policies and practices extend beyond those wrongfully detained, creating a chilling effect on the activities of other journalists and human rights activists who fear similar consequences.
In November, Azerbaijan hosted COP29, the prominent, multi-stakeholder UN climate conference. Activists and advocates hoped global participation and attention on Baku would encourage the government to take meaningful steps to address its human rights failures, including by releasing political prisoners. Instead, in the run-up to hosting COP29, the government escalated its crackdown and arrested dozens of civil society representatives who had criticised government policies.
Authorities silenced those pointing to Azerbaijan’s own environmental issues, like the well-known human rights defender Anar Mammadli. At the conference, they detained animal rights activist Kamran Mammadli for staging a protest during the proceedings. Security dragged Kamran across the floor in full view of conference attendees and locked him in a restroom for over an hour.
The government’s repression was far-reaching – amidst murmurs that President Aliyev would announce a lasting peace deal with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, several peace activists were arrested and charged with treason. Among them were Bahruz Samadov, a researcher completing his doctoral studies in Prague. Bahruz is a prolific commentator and contributor to several international publications, including the BBC and RFE/RL, where he spoke out against Azerbaijan’s military operations.
Advocates warned of worse to come if the international community did not take firm steps to show President Aliyev that such violations of rights and democratic norms would not be tolerated. Indeed, now that the spotlight has shifted away since COP29, the repression has intensified.
Rufat Safarov, head of an NGO that investigates government corruption and human rights abuses, was arrested on December 3, three days before he was set to travel to Washington, D.C., to receive the U.S. State Department’s Human Rights Defenders Award. Courts are now delivering convictions to wrongfully arrested individuals in the earlier crackdown.
In early January, a court sentenced human rights activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev to 10 years in prison on fabricated charges of tax evasion and illegal entrepreneurship. He has been imprisoned since December 2022, and his trial has been repeatedly delayed. Authorities are making new arrests, with six Meydan TV journalists among those targeted.
These are only a few examples that show how Azerbaijan has failed to abide by the commitments it made more than two decades ago when it joined the Council of Europe. Neither President Aliyev’s recent rhetoric nor his actions indicate Azerbaijan has met the standards required to rejoin PACE.
In fact, they suggest he may be resolved to the isolation they risk bringing about. But the international community must not sit back as Azerbaijan goes the way of neighbouring pariah states Russia and Belarus. States must act in solidarity with the Azerbaijani people who continue to demand their rights and a free democracy.
To that end, PACE members must use all the tools they can to hold Azerbaijan accountable. This includes confirming that Azerbaijan’s credentials remain suspended and establishing clear criteria for their restoration.
PACE should also condition future funding under a renewed Action Plan on progress towards those criteria. It should also urge the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to launch an Article 52 inquiry into Azerbaijan’s systemic violations of the European Convention on Human Rights, as the then-Secretary General did in December 2015. These and other steps must be taken as part of a comprehensive response from the Council of Europe that brings Azerbaijan in line with its commitments.
The rest of the international community also needs to take bolder action against Azerbaijan's repressive regime. History shows that only decisive measures, like imposing sanctions on human rights abusers and leveraging financial relations, have compelled change. Governments should continue to call for the unconditional release of political prisoners, push for amendments to restrictive NGO laws, and support the courageous, independent voices within Azerbaijan and in exile who are advocating for a free and democratic future.
Europe can no longer turn a blind eye to Azerbaijan’s transformation into an autocratic state. It is time to hold Baku accountable for its abysmal human rights record.
Andrea J. Prasow is executive director of Freedom Now, a Washington, D.C.-based organisation that protects individuals and communities from government repression and defends human rights through direct legal support, targeted high-leverage advocacy, and capacity-building analysis and assistance. A lawyer and global human rights advocate, Andrea’s expertise includes U.S. national security and foreign policy.
Andrea J. Prasow is executive director of Freedom Now, a Washington, D.C.-based organisation that protects individuals and communities from government repression and defends human rights through direct legal support, targeted high-leverage advocacy, and capacity-building analysis and assistance. A lawyer and global human rights advocate, Andrea’s expertise includes U.S. national security and foreign policy.