Azerbaijan Is Pressuring Media and Activists Ahead of COP29 Summit, The Guardian

The Azerbaijani government has been accused, on the eve of the crucial UN climate negotiations (COP29), of suppressing the activity of the media and civil society. This was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian, which noted that the prominent human rights organization Human Rights Watch found at least 25 cases of journalists and activists being detained last year, with almost all continuing to remain in custody.

The source mentions that Azerbaijan will host the UN COP29 climate summit for two weeks in November, which is expected to see governments from nearly 200 countries, including dozens of heads of state, work on a new global approach to providing necessary measures to address the climate crisis.

Many activists and civil society groups have expressed their concerns that media suppression is hindering advocacy on climate issues. Activists raised their concerns in Bonn, where the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat is located. A protest took place at the entrance of the negotiations building during discussions, with participants calling for the release of 23 Armenian political prisoners held in Azerbaijan. Some protesters accused the Azerbaijani government of genocide.

Former Unilever CEO Paul Polman, who is now campaigning on climate and human rights issues, stated that he wants to use COP29 as an opportunity for the international community to speak out about the treatment of prisoners in Azerbaijan, about which he has serious concerns.

The Azerbaijani government has denied the activists’ claims. “We fully reject the allegations of intimidation against human rights defenders and journalists in Azerbaijan. No one in Azerbaijan is prosecuted for their political beliefs or activities,” a government representative stated.

The Guardian notes that authoritarian Azerbaijan, where media and civil liberties are restricted, is considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world, ranking 154 out of 180 in last year's Transparency International index. Azerbaijan is also accused of holding political prisoners. “Last year, a war with neighboring Armenia over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh ended with 100,000 people displaced from their homes,” the publication concluded, referring to ethnic cleansing that occurred in the occupied Artsakh.