The silencing of critical voices in Azerbaijan
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 24 June 2026 (24th sitting) (see Doc. 16414, report of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights,
rapporteur: Mr Christophe Lacroix); and Doc. 16436, opinion of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education
and Media, rapporteur: Mr Andries Gryffroy). Text
adopted by the Assembly on 24 June 2026 (24th sitting).
1. The Parliamentary Assembly deeply
deplores the systemic pattern of silencing dissent and independent voices
that has become firmly entrenched in Azerbaijan. The 2026 Press
Freedom Index, published annually by Reporters Without Borders,
ranks Azerbaijan 171st out of 180 countries. Azerbaijan’s score
reflects years of continued suppression of independent media, in
what can only be described as a blatant and systemic disregard for
the freedom of expression that is guaranteed by Article 10 of the
European Convention on Human Rights (ETS No. 5, the Convention).
2. The Assembly is equally concerned by a broader climate of
silencing critical voices in Azerbaijan, facilitated by restrictive
legislative measures, notably the Law on the Media, the Law on Political
Parties and the Law on Non-Governmental Organisations (Public Associations
and Funds). Their cumulative effect has been to suppress independent
journalism, genuine political opposition, civic space and freedom
of expression in Azerbaijan. As of 2026, not a single independent
media outlet operates within Azerbaijan, a Council of Europe member
State. The Council of Europe Platform for the Safety of Journalists
records 36 journalists currently detained in Azerbaijan.
3. The Assembly deeply regrets that, instead of addressing the
serious concerns it expressed in
Resolution 2527 (2024) “Challenge,
on substantive grounds, of the still unratified credentials of the
parliamentary delegation of Azerbaijan”, including with regard to
respect for human rights, Azerbaijan chose not to participate in
the work of the Assembly by deciding not to submit its delegation’s
credentials for the years 2025 and 2026. Despite the absence of
the Azerbaijani delegation, the Assembly finds it imperative to
address the increasingly concerning situation in Azerbaijan, which
raises serious doubts as to its willingness to abide by its membership obligations
to the Council of Europe.
4. The Assembly remains concerned by the high number of leading
judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (the Court) still
pending implementation in respect of Azerbaijan, many of which have
been pending for years. Groups of judgments pending implementation
include those relating to: the unlawful blocking of online media;
the arbitrary disbarment of lawyers; the arbitrary application of
criminal law to limit freedom of expression; the unlawful and/or
unjustified refusal to register civil society organisations, or
their dissolution; violations of the safety and security of journalists;
and the misuse of criminal law to punish and silence human rights
defenders, civil society activists and journalists. The Assembly
recalls that, in order to implement these judgments, Azerbaijan
is obliged not only to ensure justice for the applicants concerned,
but also to undertake prompt and effective reforms to ensure that
similar violations do not recur.
5. The Assembly recalls that Azerbaijan has an unconditional
obligation to implement the judgments of the European Court of Human
Rights under Article 46, paragraph 1, of the Convention. It rejects
any attempts to use Azerbaijan’s non-participation in the Assembly
as justification for failing to comply with the judgments of the
Court, or for failing to participate fully in the Convention system.
This includes the obligation to submit to the Assembly, in due time,
a list of candidates for the post of judge at the Court, in accordance
with Article 22 of the Convention and the procedure established
by the Assembly.
6. The Assembly notes that none of the recommendations made by
the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission)
in its opinions regarding the Law on the Media, the Law on Political
Parties and the Law on Non-Governmental Organisations (Public Associations
and Funds) have been implemented. Instead, further restrictions
have been introduced, including a simplified process for dissolving foreign
media branches, stricter naming rules for press outlets and an effective
blockade preventing non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from receiving
any form of international funding, thereby exacerbating the chilling
effect on the media and broader civic space in Azerbaijan.
7. Recalling its
Resolution
2322 (2020) “Reported cases of political prisoners in
Azerbaijan”, the Assembly is deeply concerned about the significant
rise in the number of reported political prisoners. According to
the Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan,
a non-governmental organisation, as of May 2026, there were 328
political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
8. In this context, the Assembly particularly deplores the ongoing
detention and prosecution of Anar Mammadli, a prominent Azerbaijani
human rights defender and election monitor, laureate of the 2014
Václav Havel Human Rights Prize, and recalls that the European Court
of Human Rights had found his previous detention to be politically
motivated, in violation of Articles 5 and 18 of the Convention.
The Assembly finds it alarming that the current indictment against
Anar Mammadli explicitly cites, as part of his criminal record,
the previous criminal proceedings against him, which the European
Court of Human Rights found to constitute an attempt to silence
and punish him as a civil society activist for his work in electoral
monitoring. It recalls that the Court’s judgment in his case has
not yet been implemented and that, in this context, the Azerbaijani authorities
therefore have an obligation to ensure that the previous conviction
does not have any bearing on the new criminal proceedings against
him.
9. Mr Mammadli’s latest detention, on charges of conducting illegal
business activities, money laundering, tax evasion and several other
offences, occurred shortly after his NGO, the Election Monitoring
and Democracy Studies Centre, had reported irregularities in the
February 2024 presidential election and after he had engaged with
the United Nations Human Rights Council. Accordingly, the Assembly
considers that Mr Mammadli’s current detention appears to have been
imposed for purely political reasons, which indicates that he falls
within the definition of political prisoner set out in its
Resolution 1900 (2012) “The
definition of political prisoner”.
10. The Assembly further condemns, in the strongest possible terms,
the sentencing of the journalists and staff of Abzas Media, an independent
media outlet, to lengthy prison terms, and notes with particular
concern that among those convicted is Ulvi Hassanli, its editor-in-chief,
who had previously testified before the Committee on Legal Affairs
and Human Rights of the Assembly about the situation of journalists
in Azerbaijan. The Assembly firmly denounces the misuse of criminal
law to punish individuals co-operating with international organisations.
11. Equally alarming for the Assembly is the similar pattern of
repression affecting journalists and staff of other independent
media outlets previously operating in Azerbaijan, including Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Toplum TV, Meydan TV, Kanal 11 and Kanal
13, who have either been convicted or prosecuted on what appear
to be fabricated charges. Similar measures have been applied against
other journalists, bloggers, pro-democracy activists, opposition
figures, anti-corruption experts and human rights defenders, including Gubad
Ibadoghlu, Akif Gurbanov, Alasgar Mammadli, Ruslan Izzatli, Elnara
Qasimova, Nargiz Absalamova, Ali Zeynal, Farid Mehralizade, Bakhtiar
Hajiyev, Rufat Safarov and Ali Karimli, all of whom are either in detention
or under house arrest on allegedly politically motivated charges,
or have already received disproportionate sentences.
12. The Assembly also condemns the harsh prison sentences imposed
upon Iqbal Abilov and Bahruz Samadov, independent researchers convicted
on fabricated charges of high treason based on their routine interactions
with Armenian universities and nationals. Referring to its
Resolution 2352 (2020) “Threats
to academic freedom and autonomy of higher education institutions
in Europe”, the Assembly reiterates that academic freedom is an
essential component of democratic societies.
13. The Assembly is appalled by recent reports of sexual violence
against nine female journalists imprisoned in Azerbaijan, including
threats of rape and acts of sexual harassment by prison guards.
14. The Assembly therefore urges Azerbaijan to:
14.1 respect its international obligations
under the Statute of the Council of Europe (ETS No. 1), particularly
Article 3, and under the European Convention on Human Rights and
other international human rights treaties;
14.2 cease the threats, intimidation and prosecution of individuals
who have been targeted due to their journalistic activities, their
reporting on corruption, their pro-democratic stance, their defence
of human rights or their independent academic research, and ensure
the immediate release of those who are in detention;
14.3 re-examine the cases of all persons appearing on the regularly
updated lists of political prisoners maintained by the Union for
the Freedom for Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan, and release those
found to be political prisoners in accordance with the definition
set out in
Resolution
1900 (2012) while dropping all politically motivated
charges or quashing their convictions;
14.4 pending their release, ensure that the conditions of detention
of all such prisoners are compliant with international human rights
law (including access to adequate medical care and contact with
their lawyers, families and others);
14.5 ensure that prisoners are not subjected to torture or
other forms of ill-treatment, and that any such allegations are
investigated promptly, transparently and effectively and that perpetrators
are prosecuted;
14.6 ensure that any physical attacks or violence, or threats
of violence, including hate crimes, against journalists, human rights
defenders and civil society activists, are properly investigated,
and that the perpetrators are prosecuted;
14.7 adopt, without delay, effective general measures to address
the structural and systemic problems identified by the European
Court of Human Rights and the Committee of Ministers of the Council
of Europe with regard to freedom of expression, freedom of assembly,
freedom of association, the right to liberty and the right to a
fair trial;
14.8 review its legal framework with a view to ensuring the
full enjoyment of human rights in Azerbaijan, respect for the rule
of law and the independence of the judiciary, including by implementing the
recommendations of the Venice Commission and in accordance with
Resolution 2184 (2017) “The functioning
of democratic institutions in Azerbaijan”;
14.9 guarantee the publication of all reports of the European
Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment (CPT) and implement the recommendations contained
therein;
14.10 rescind measures declaring certain members of the Assembly
as personae non gratae in Azerbaijan.
15. Recalling the unconditional obligation of member States to
implement judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, the Assembly
urges Azerbaijan to:
15.1 re-initiate
its engagement in the Committee of Ministers’ process to supervise
the implementation of judgments of the Court, including by fully
and actively participating in quarterly “CM/DH” meetings dedicated
to the implementation of judgments, and fulfilling its obligation
to submit timely and comprehensive action plans and action reports;
15.2 ensure the protection of human rights defenders, civil
society organisations and journalists by promptly implementing all
judgments of the European Court of Human Rights that are pending implementation.
16. The Assembly calls on the Milli Mejlis to resume dialogue
with the Assembly with a view to addressing the concerns expressed
in this Resolution. It also calls on the authorities of Azerbaijan
to refrain from using their decision not to submit the credentials
of its parliamentary delegation to the Assembly as a pretext for
not fully abiding by their obligations and commitments as a member
State and as a State Party to Council of Europe treaties. This includes
full participation in the European Convention on Human Rights system,
particularly by submitting a list of candidates for the post of
judge at the Court and re-engaging in the supervision process for the
execution of the Court’s judgments. The same applies to their full
participation in other Council of Europe treaties and their co-operation
with the relevant monitoring bodies and projects. The Assembly believes
that it is also in the best interest of Azerbaijan to co-operate
effectively with all Council of Europe bodies and to benefit fully
from this co-operation.
17. The Assembly calls on Council of Europe member States and,
where applicable, observer States and the European Union, to:
17.1 engage with the Azerbaijani
authorities, both bilaterally and within multilateral forums, to
secure the release of political prisoners;
17.2 facilitate the granting of visas and give careful consideration
to requests for asylum from former political prisoners and Azerbaijani
opposition politicians, civil society activists, journalists and
human rights defenders who need to leave Azerbaijan in order to
avoid persecution and/or arrest, and ensure their safety if they
are at risk of violence or transnational repression;
17.3 refuse extradition requests for Azerbaijani nationals
for charges which could be considered politically motivated;
17.4 refrain from deporting those Azerbaijani nationals who
would face a genuine risk of political persecution.
18. The Assembly calls on the Secretary General of the Council
of Europe to make use of the powers conferred upon him under Article
52 of the European Convention on Human Rights, in order to obtain
from the Azerbaijani authorities explanations as to how their internal
law ensures the effective implementation of the Convention.
19. Recalling that, upon becoming a member of the Council of Europe,
Azerbaijan committed to co-operate fully in the implementation of
the Assembly’s monitoring procedure and that such a procedure continues irrespective
of the Milli Mejlis’ decision not to submit credentials to the Assembly,
the Assembly invites the co-rapporteurs of the Committee on the
Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council
of Europe (Monitoring Committee) to take into account this Resolution
and to intensify their work.
20. Finally, the Assembly resolves to remain seized of the matter
of protecting human rights defenders and independent journalists
in Azerbaijan.
