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When officials from more than 200 countries and hundreds of journalists arrive in Azerbaijan in November for the annual UN climate conference, they will bring a level of scrutiny that host countries are not used to – and often will not tolerate.
When representatives from nearly 200 countries, along with hundreds of journalists, arrive in Azerbaijan in November for this year’s U.N. climate conference known as COP29, they will bring a level of scrutiny that the hosts are not used to — and not often doing. tolerate.
Azerbaijan has had a poor human rights record for years and the government has regularly attacked journalists, activists and independent politicians. President Ilham Aliyev and his government are accused by human rights groups of spearheading an intensifying crackdown on freedom of expression ahead of the climate summit, including against climate activists and journalists.
Aliyev’s father, Haidar, ruled Azerbaijan from 1993 until his death in 2003 and Ilham took over. Both suppressed dissent as the country of nearly 10 million people on the Caspian Sea basked in growing wealth from vast oil and natural gas reserves.
Elections since independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s are not considered completely free or fair. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe said Azerbaijan’s most recent parliamentary elections took place in a “restrictive” environment in September. They were characterized by a turnout of 37% and no opposition party won seats.
Human Rights Watch said the “brutal” crackdown on journalists and human rights activists 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.
Ahead of COP29, Azerbaijani authorities extended the pre-trial detention of at least eleven journalists from Azerbaijan’s remaining independent news media on money smuggling charges linked to alleged financing from Western donors.
Azerbaijani government officials did not respond to numerous requests from The Associated Press for an interview or comment on their actions.
A look at just five of Baku’s critics currently detained in Azerbaijan:
Hasalni and Vagifgizi are journalists and leaders of Abzas Media, an independent online channel. 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 senior officials.
Hasanli and Vagifgizi were arrested along with four colleagues in November 2023. Azerbaijani officials allege they conspired to smuggle money into Azerbaijan and claim they found more than $40,000 in Hasanli’s home. The journalists deny the allegations and Hasanli said the money was planted.
“That’s why they decided to eliminate Ulvi and his team … to make sure they could no longer expose their misdeeds,” Rubaba Guliyeva, Hasanli’s wife, told The Associated Press.
Hasanli and Vagifgizi are imprisoned in Baku without a trial date. Guliyeva called conditions there “extremely bad” and said she saw bruises on her husband and was told their meetings and phone calls were being tapped. Hasanli is allowed to visit his two-year-old daughter briefly, but has difficulty when she leaves, his wife says.
Vagifgizi’s mother Ophelya Maharramova said the prison has water shortages and the water is not drinkable. Prisoners “suffer from hair loss and their teeth are rotting,” she said.
Despite being in prison, Vagifgizi still asks what studies Abzas Media publishes. Her mother said, “It’s what keeps her motivated.”
Guliyeva said states should boycott COP29 due to Azerbaijan’s poor human rights record.
Ibadoghlu is an academic and economist at the London School of Economics who was detained in Azerbaijan in July 2023. In April, he was placed under house arrest after months in prison.
He was accused by Azerbaijan of selling counterfeit money, but his children dispute 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. Ibadoghlu’s sons say he also set up a charity in Britain to work with the British Home Office to try to transfer money seized by the National Crime Agency from wealthy Azerbaijanis to the charity to help the people of Azerbaijan to serve.
Ibadoghlu is also the chairman of the Azerbaijan Movement for Democracy and Prosperity, which has been denied registration as a political party in Azerbaijan.
His son Emin Bayramov told AP that his father was arrested by unknown police officers who beat his mother when she questioned who they were. Ibadoghlu has health problems, including diabetes, and his family says he is denied medical care. Another son, Ibad Bayramov, told AP that the International Committee of the Red Cross had tried to visit him four times but was not allowed to see him.