As COP29 nears, Azerbaijani authorities target peace activists and independent voices

As Azerbaijan gears up to host COP29 in November 2024, Azerbaijan authorities continue to intensify the crackdown on civil society has intensified, with the latest arrest in August making waves both domestically and internationally.

Since the December announcement of the high-profile climate summit, Azerbaijan has been targeting independent journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society representatives.

Bahruz Samadov, a 29-year-old PhD candidate, a vocal critic of the Aliyev government and an advocate for peace with Armenians, was detained during a visit to the country in August.

In a departure from the typical charges of drug possession or money laundering often used against activists, he has been accused of a much more severe crime: treason. If convicted, the peace activist faces a sentence ranging from 12 to 20 years or potentially life imprisonment.

After Samadov’s arrest, the Azerbaijani authorities detained two other activists and peace advocates, Samad Shikhi on 23 August and Javid Agha on 27 August.

Although both were released shortly afterwards, they were placed under an indefinite travel ban and informed that they had been apprehended to testify against Samadov.

Samadov, who is researching hegemonic political projects in Azerbaijan at Charles University in Prague, has long been targeted by pro-government media due to his critical social media posts and articles on Baku’s recent military offensives in 2020 and 2023 –  resulting in Azerbaijan regaining control over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Since 2020, he has also written about the retaliation against the group of progressive activists who began challenging the official narrative on the necessity of the war.

Having actively participated in cross-border peacebuilding initiatives, Samadov now faces accusations related to his contacts with Armenians, whom state-linked media in Azerbaijan have frequently labeled as operatives of the “Armenian intelligence service.”

In court, Samadov denied the allegations, stating, “I only sought peace. I have not betrayed my country.” International academic communities have also begun rallying for his release.

Peace activists' crackdown

Laurence Broers, an associate fellow at Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia program, highlights that, unlike previous cases, those detained now are young scholars and social media voices whose primary concern was peace.

“Their work is not focused on taboo topics like corruption or the integrity of key individuals in the Azerbaijani elite,” he commented in a post on X.

Broers noted that the treason charges reduce the likelihood of Samadov's release in one of Azerbaijan’s periodic amnesties.

In a similar case in 2014, prominent Azerbaijani human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus were imprisoned on multiple charges, including treason, due to their peacebuilding efforts between Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

They were released the following year after international advocacy campaigns and have since been living in exile.

US and EU officials have expressed concern over Samadov’s arrest. Peter Stano, the EU's foreign affairs spokesperson, told Politico, "His case adds to the worrying and growing number of detentions of independent journalists, human rights defenders, and civil society representatives since late last year."

Notably, in the year leading up to COP29, Azerbaijani authorities have arrested more than 30 independent journalists, civil society activists, and academics on various bogus criminal charges, including money smuggling, illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, and tax evasion.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have also called for Samadov's release, warning of an "escalating crackdown on critics." They drew attention to a similar case involving Igbal Abilov, a 34-year-old Talysh minority scholar and co-founder of the Talysh National Academy.

Abilov, who was arrested while visiting Azerbaijan from Belarus in July this year, faces charges of treason, sedition, and inciting national, racial, and religious hatred. Like Samadov, pro-government media have accused Abilov of acting on behalf of Armenia’s national security services.

Talysh rights and culture remain sensitive topics in Azerbaijan, especially following the brief existence of the self-proclaimed Talysh-Mughan Autonomous Republic and the imprisonment of its leaders in the early 1990s.

Since then, Talysh activists and cultural figures have often faced treason charges. For example, historian Fakhraddin Abbasov died in prison in 2020 while serving a 16-year sentence, and blogger Aslan Gurbanov was sentenced to seven years in 2021 for "inciting national hatred."

A warning 

During a meeting with the teaching staff and students of the newly established Karabakh University on 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan President Aliyev publicly criticised cross-border dialogues with Armenians.

“Various seminars were held through non-governmental organizations. Some individuals among us sold themselves to foreign interests, attended those trainings, mingled with Armenians, made deals, and organized joint meetings with them,” he stated.

Laurence Broers argues that after Samadov's arrest, only individuals operating within state-approved or state-aligned structures will feel confident meeting with Armenians.

“This is also obviously a pathway to co-opting peacebuilding itself into an entirely regime-aligned direction,” he told OC Media.

An activist, speaking anonymously to Euractiv, expressed feeling unsafe in the country following the recent arrests and voiced concerns that more individuals involved in similar projects could soon be targeted.

This article is part of the FREIHEIT media project on Europe’s Neighbourhood, funded by the European Media and Information Fund (EMIF).

[Edited by Alexandra Brzozowski/Martina Monti]