Press release | First published: here | October 8, 2024
In the leadup to next month’s COP29 climate summit in Baku, states must exert pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities to reverse their clampdown on civil society, release those detained solely for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, and ensure participants including activists and journalists can engage freely and fully in the event, Amnesty International said today.
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. Independent civil society organizations have been closed and critics locked up under politically motivated charges, or forced into exile, in a haunting echo of previous crackdowns documented by Amnesty International around other major international events hosted by Azerbaijan, including Eurovision 2012 and the 2015 European Games.
“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,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
“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.”
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. For example, 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-trail detention since 15 December 2023 on spurious fraud and forgery charges. Also 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.
Threat of reprisals after COP29 spotlight fades
Amnesty International is concerned that any critics seeking to voice their dissent in the run-up to or during COP29 face the risk of severe reprisals, especially after the conference which runs from 11 to 22 November, when the country is no longer in the spotlight.
“We urge every delegation attending COP29 to press the Azerbaijani government to end its clampdown on civil society, guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly throughout and beyond the conference, and take meaningful action to reverse the deterioration of human rights in the country. Delegates should take every opportunity to press Azerbaijan’s authorities 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,” said Agnès Callamard.
Amnesty International will continue monitoring the Azerbaijani authorities’ policing of protests as well as their treatment of, and any reprisals against, environmental activists and human rights defenders 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.
“It is of grave concern that the Host Country Agreement has yet to be made available, leaving participants unaware if the UNFCCC Secretariat obtained a guarantee that all fundamental human rights principles, including transparency and freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, will be protected during COP29. The agreement must be published immediately, as this opacity creates a chilling effect on observer participation. These protections are essential to ensure there is no repeat of the dire situation during last year’s summit, when the UAE authorities started prosecuting dozens of dissidents, including human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience, in mass sham trials that showed breathtaking contempt for human rights,” said Agnès Callamard.
Amnesty International 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 International 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.
“Unless the Azerbaijani authorities drastically change their repressive approach, civil society organizations, independent media and activists will not be able to freely express their critical views or participate in a meaningful and effective manner at COP29. This would seriously undermine the process and taint the outcome of the conference. To achieve a truly effective impact, it must be a forum for the free exchange of views and ideas – not just those of state delegates but also the independent civic actors who are the driving force for climate justice and human rights, both locally and internationally,” said Agnès Callamard.
Background
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.
Azerbaijan has also adopted restrictive laws excessively regulating the work of media and NGOs in recent years, while peaceful protests have been severely restricted for over a decade.