On 7th February 2024, an early presidential election was held in Azerbaijan, which was boycotted by the leading opposition parties. Incumbent Ilham Aliyev, who has been in office since 2003 — his father Heydar Aliyev held the office for ten years before him – was re-elected for a fifth term with more than 90 per cent of the vote. Representatives of the OSCE monitoring mission stated that the election was “not competitive” and “took place in a restrictive environment”, referring, among other things, to the recent series of arrests of critical journalists reported previously on the CIVICUS Monitor.
Freedom of association
International NGOs point to repressive environment for civil society in Azerbaijan
Ahead of the early presidential elections in February and the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in November, several international non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including Amnesty International, Human Rights House, and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, have raised serious concerns about the state of civil society in Azerbaijan. The organisations underscored that more than 200 political prisoners remain behind bars, and independent media have faced coordinated attacks between November and December 2023.
Azerbaijan's current laws are described as repressive and not in line with the country’s international obligations under various conventions. Critical voices have almost disappeared from public discourse, with human rights defenders encountering increasing obstacles in their work. Those who dare to speak out face arrests, home searches, and fabricated charges aimed at silencing dissent.
These concerns were raised in particular due to Azerbaijan’s upcoming role as host country of the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference in Baku. The NGOs called on the international community to recognise that Azerbaijan’s actions are not in line with its international obligations and appealed to external partners not to prioritise economic interests over democratic principles.
Freedom of peaceful assembly
Authorities allow women’s march despite crackdown on activists
On 8th March 2024, a traditional women’s rights march took place in Baku amid ongoing pressure on activists and journalists. Although the rally was not officially sanctioned, the authorities chose not to intervene. The police monitored the event but refrained from taking action, despite earlier warnings from the Ministry of Internal Affairs that any unauthorised demonstrations would face consequences.
This event occurred against the backdrop of serious charges brought against several Azerbaijani journalists who remain imprisoned, accused of financial crimes such as money laundering. Despite the march's peaceful nature, the wider context reflects an atmosphere of repression in Azerbaijan.
Freedom of expression
Journalists remain in detention following crackdown
In April 2024, the Baku Court rejected a petition to transfer investigative journalist Hafiz Babaly to house arrest. His lawyer argued that no legal or procedural justification existed for his continued detention, yet the court dismissed the request. Babaly, an editor at Turan News Agency, was detained on 13th December 2023 and faces charges under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code, which accuses him of smuggling. His case is linked to the detention of several other Abzas Media journalists, which the CIVICUS Monitor reported on in a previous update.
Meydan TV has reported that six other journalists from Abzas Media are behind bars at the time of writing: director Ulvi Hasanli, deputy director Muhammed Kekalov, editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgyzy, reporter Nargiz Absalamova, investigative journalist Hafiz Babaly and reporter Elnara Gasimova.
None of the accused journalists admit guilt, and they insist their trials are politically motivated.
Another case has also gained attention. On 3rd April 2024, the Baku Court of Appeals rejected a plea to transfer Alasgar Mammadli, founder of Toplum TV, to house arrest. Mammadli, who is suffering from health issues requiring urgent medical attention, has also appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). He also faces charges of smuggling foreign currency, which he denies, maintaining that his detention is politically driven.
Mammadli was detained on 8th March 2024, while on his way to a medical appointment. According to media reports, he was grabbed by individuals in plain clothes as he was about to enter his car, then put in another car and taken to an unknown destination. Two days before Mammadli’s arrest, the authorities raided the editorial offices of Toplum TV. According to the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, they confiscated the station’s equipment and the phones of all employees present, after which at least ten of them were taken to the police station in Baku for interrogation. All but three — video editor Mushfig Jabbar, reporter Farid Ismayilov and social media manager Elmir Abbasov — were released at midnight. On 8th March, Jabbar was remanded in custody for four months, while the other two were released on bail.
On the same day, a court in Baku extended the detention of activist Ilhamiz Guliyev. Guliyev was arrested on 4th December 2023 and has been in pre-trial detention for four months while he is under investigation for large-scale drug trafficking. As JAM news has reported, human rights defenders claim Guliyev’s arrest is also politically motivated and was triggered by his interview with Abzas Media in which he spoke about police misconduct.