EU Lawmakers Confront Baku Over Increasing Repression and Political Imprisonment

In a meeting of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights international observers and activists discussed an increase in repression with around 400 political prisoners since late 2023.

The testimony mainly focused on how the Azerbaijani government uses its justice system to silence opposition. Human rights lawyer Samad Rahimli and investigative journalist Leyla Mustafayeva explained how the government has stopped opposition groups from working over the past 20 years. They said the current strategy involves making dissent a crime by interpreting financial laws and national security rules. This has led to targeting democracy groups, independent organizations and critical media.

The cases of academics Bahruz Samadov and Iqbal Abilov were highlighted. They are still in jail despite EU resolutions calling for their release. Activists said these arrests, often based on treason charges scare the academic community and those exercising cultural rights. The media situation is also bad with 30 journalists in jail. Azerbaijan now ranks 171st out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. Witnesses shared stories of medical neglect and harassment against detained reporters from Abzas Media and Meydan TV.

The session also discussed "transnational repression." Activists showed evidence of the Azerbaijani state’s growing reach citing the deportation of critics from Georgia, Turkey and Russia back to Baku. Dissidents’ families face travel bans and harassment suggesting a collective punishment strategy.

The diplomatic fallout from these human rights concerns is severe. Baku reacted defiantly with the Milli Majlis (National Assembly) suspending all cooperation with the European Parliament. President Ilham Aliyev called EU resolutions an "obsession" based on slander. Baku claims European critiques of Karabakh Armenians' rights are interference in its affairs.

Inside the European Parliament there's a debate on how to handle Azerbaijan. Deren Derya of the European External Action Service said Azerbaijan is a "strategic energy partner" but it still must meet its human rights obligations. Some MEPs like Katarina Vieyra challenged the idea of a "strategic partnership" with a government that mistreats its citizens.

The hearings ended with a call to the European Union and its member states. Activists and some lawmakers want the release of all prisoners to be a formal condition for any future partnership with Baku. There are also growing demands for targeted sanctions against officials responsible for severe human rights violations.