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A top EU summit is taking place in Latvia today, but Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev is not joining the festivities. One official report claims Aliyev is too busy prepping for the inaugural European Games, due to be held in the capital Baku next month. But another report from Aliyev’s camp suggests a very different motive for the president’s no show: that the government is upset over what it claims is an "anti-Azerbaijan" campaign, led by the European Parliament and unspecified nongovernmental groups, which is supposedly seeking to embarrass Azerbaijan as it takes to the world stage as the games’ host. It is a surprisingly emotional, if disingenuous, way for this world leader to explain his decision to skip an important EU meeting.

But if anyone’s waging an “anti-Azerbaijan campaign,” it’s the Aliyev government itself. The government has systematically shredded its international standing by embarking on a brutal crackdown against domestic critics, silencing all dissent with the jailing of leading journalists and human rights defenders, shuttering many independent groups critical of the authorities, and compelling those who speak out to flee the country or go into hiding out of fear for their own safety. 

When the European Parliament and international human rights groups flag these concerns, they are merely reporting the facts that the world deserves to know, but which Azerbaijan tries to conceal, through distraction and vitriol.

If Aliyev is really so concerned about his country’s global image, there are a few things he can do immediately that would generate enormous good will. He could release everyone behind bars on politically motivated charges, end his crackdown on civil society and human rights work (including by unfreezing bank accounts of rights groups and their staff), and repeal new legislation that further restricts the work of such groups. These steps are also Azerbaijan’s obligations under its international human rights commitments.

The EU should not be intimidated by Aliyev’s Riga summit snub, nor his groundless claims to be the victim of wrongdoing, or his threats to cut ties with Europe. This is mere sabre rattling. The EU is a key partner to Azerbaijan in terms of energy markets, trade, and political engagement, and Aliyev knows it.

The EU should call Azerbaijan’s bluff, and insist the government demonstrates its respect for the core and fundamental human rights standards that are part of both European values and Azerbaijan’s obligations, before any further deepening of bilateral or multilateral relations is considered.

And it can do this most clearly by immediately and publicly calling for the unconditional release of all those jailed on political motives.  

 

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