Azerbaijan: Stop assaults on civil society and climate justice as COP29 starts today

Azerbaijan must curb increasing assaults on civil society and stop harassing peaceful protesters and journalists, said CIVICUS today. The global civil society alliance called on the government to respond to human rights violations and protect civic space as the nation prepares to preside over the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in the capital, Baku.

The human rights violations and civic space restrictions in Azerbaijan undermine climate justice at the heart of COP. These violations run counter to the principles of transparency, accountability, and inclusion and could compromise the process and outcomes of COP29. Without urgent corrective action, Azerbaijan’s climate summit will end up another farce. It will be the third consecutive COP held in a nation producing dirty energy and known for crushing citizens’ rights.   

In April 2024, Anar Mammadli, the co-founder of the “COP29 Climate of Justice” initiative and the chairman of Centre for Election Observation and Democracy Education, was arrested. The COP initiative launched in February 2024 aimed to use the conference to draw attention to human rights issues in Azerbaijan and called for the release of journalists and civic and political activists arrested with politically motivated charges. Arrested in August and facing a potential life sentence for alleged treason, researcher Bahruz Samadov was recently filmed pleading “Give me a voice at COP29,” while being transported to detention.

Azerbaijan was flagged in the 2024 September CIVICUS Monitor Watchlist for worsening repression against civil society in the run-up to the COP. Human rights defenders and journalists have been arrested. Civic freedoms and space for civil society has been in a dramatic freefall. Azerbaijan’s civic space has been rated ‘closed’ since 2018.

Peaceful protests in Azerbaijan are routinely suppressed. In April 2024, Azerbaijani authorities refused permission for an opposition rally. In 2023, an environmental protest in the village of Soyudlu was violently dispersed by police using tear gas and pepper spray.

Authorities have curtailed the right to association and access to resources for civil society organisations with denials of registration. Laws restricting foreign funding have almost completely dismantled independent civil society.  The few remaining independent media outlets are facing increased pressure, including through false criminal charges. Investigative journalists from Abzas Media have been detained on fabricated charges of illegal money smuggling.

Azerbaijan had its presidential election in February 2024. With the opposition boycotting the election, the incumbent, Ilham Aliyev was re-elected. In the run-up to the election, there was systemic repression against critical voices, including journalists and civil society.

Azerbaijan as the host to the UN Climate Conference has an opportunity and responsibility to improve its civic space and ensure an enabling environment for civil society to operate freely without fear of reprisals.

We remind Azerbaijan to implement the recommendations received during its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on civic space issues, especially to amend the Media Law that severely violates media freedoms. 

We call on Azerbaijan to promote an open civic space and address and deliver accountability for human rights violations, and comply with international human rights obligations. 

CIVICUS also raises serious concerns about the dismal civic space and climate justice track records of countries hosting the recent COPs. Egypt and United Arab Emirates also had ‘closed’ ratings by Civicus Monitor. Granting hosting rights to nations with abysmal commitments to climate justice values, leaves United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) complicit in ‘greenwashing.’

We call for higher standards, with open civic spaces and commitment to climate justice as pre-requisites, in choosing the host countries for the UN climate summits.