Protests in Tbilisi Over Election Results: Greta Thunberg Joins Call for Democracy

November 4, 2024, Tbilisi — Climate activist Greta Thunberg made a powerful statement in Tbilisi today, condemning the UN’s decision to host COP29 in Azerbaijan, an authoritarian state with a troubling human rights record and a reliance on fossil fuels. Thunberg, who has previously advocated for Azerbaijani political prisoners like human rights defender Famil Khalilov, underscored her disapproval of the location choice and confirmed she would not attend the summit.

“It is extreme hypocrisy of the UNFCCC to let yet another authoritarian, petro-state and

regime host the COP,” Thunberg stated, highlighting the Azerbaijani government’s

repression, ethnic cleansing accusations, and ongoing fossil fuel expansion. She expressed solidarity with those suffering under the regime, saying the COP choice was “a slap in the face to all the people suffering from the climate emergency and from the repression and oppression of the Azerbaijani regime.”

During the SB60 conference in Bonn earlier this year, Thunberg met with Azerbaijani rights advocate Emin Huseynov to discuss the country’s repressive policies, especially its targeting of environmental and human rights activists. Reflecting this perspective, she criticized the COP29 decision as undermining the global climate movement and supporting an oppressive government.

Land border closures, Thunberg added, would prevent her from attending COP29 even if she desired to, a situation she likened to Azerbaijanis being “kept in a prison.” Her stance reflects a growing concern over COP’s venue selection process and its implications for human rights and climate action.