• Human Rights in Azerbaijan

    Azerbaijan hosted the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, casting an international spotlight on the government’s deteriorating human rights record. The atmosphere for political activists and independent and pro-opposition journalists grew acutely hostile. Authorities used imprisonment as a tool for political retribution and forcibly dispersed a number of peaceful demonstrations, indiscriminately arresting activists and passersby. Restrictions on freedom of religion and the prosecution of unregistered religious groups continued. The government intensified its urban renewal campaign in the capital Baku, forcibly evicting thousands of families and illegally demolishing homes.

  • Azerbaijani police detain an opposition activist during an unsanctioned protest rally in Baku, Azerbaijan on Oct. 20, 2012.
    © 2012 AP Photo
    Azerbaijan: Shrinking Space for Media Freedom
    At least eight journalists and three human rights defenders are in jail, and freedom of expression is severely limited in Azerbaijan, the host of the upcoming United Nations-sponsored Internet Governance Forum.
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Azerbaijan

  • Azerbaijan: Reject Legislative Amendments
    May 16, 2013
    Recent amendments to Azerbaijani legislation violate the government’s international commitments and would limit free expression. President Ilham Aliyev should veto the amendments and ensure that no one is punished for exercising fundamental rights.
  • Azerbaijan: Stop Forced Evictions, Illegal Demolitions
    May 6, 2013
    The Azerbaijani authorities should immediately stop its campaign of forced evictions and demolitions in the capital, Baku, Human Rights Watch said today. The government should also guarantee fair compensation to homeowners and residents, including those already evicted.
  • Universal Periodic Review: HRW Submission on Azerbaijan
    Apr 18, 2013
    Azerbaijan’s human rights record has been on a continual decline since the previous UPR in 2009, casting serious doubt on the government’s willingness to abide by its commitments and to reform. The long-repressive atmosphere for independent journalists, political activists, and human rights defenders has grown acutely hostile, with authorities using imprisonment as a tool for political retribution and clamping down on freedom of assembly, breaking up peaceful demonstrations, often violently.
  • Azerbaijan: Authorities Targeting Youth Activists
    Apr 2, 2013
    An Azerbaijan court sent three political activists to pretrial detention in recent days on dubious charges of illegal weapons possession.
  • Azerbaijan: Unnecessary Police Force at Peaceful Protests
    Mar 12, 2013
    Azerbaijani police used unnecessary force to disperse a peaceful protest in the capital, Baku, on March 10, 2013.
  • Azerbaijan: Rights Lawyer Imprisoned
    Mar 4, 2013
    An Azerbaijan court on February 27, 2013, sentenced a human rights lawyer to eight years in prison on the basis of a prosecution and conviction that appear politically motivated.
  • Azerbaijan: Stop Harassing Writer
    Feb 12, 2013
    The Azerbaijani government should immediately end a hostile campaign of intimidation against writer Akram Aylisli. Aylisli recently published a controversial novel depicting relationships between ethnic Azeris and Armenians in Azerbaijan.
  • Azerbaijan: Government Detains Outspoken Critics
    Feb 6, 2013
    The arrest of two prominent government critics in Azerbaijan on broad charges of organizing mass disorder in Ismayilli raises concern they are facing political retribution.
  • Azerbaijan: Ensure Rights for Ismayilli Protesters
    Jan 29, 2013
    Azerbaijani authorities should ensure that everyone detained in connection with riots and protests in the city of Ismayilli has access to a lawyer and that no one is ill-treated in custody.
  • What Next for Azerbaijan’s Political Prisoners?
    Jan 28, 2013
    Azerbaijan’s abysmal rights record came under a rare spotlight last week. One of Europe’s foremost human rights bodies, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, devoted an entire afternoon to debating two much-awaited reports on the country.
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