Azerbaijan accused of media crackdown before hosting Cop29

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🗞️ Driving the news: The state of Azerbaijan is reportedly cracking down on media and civil society this year in preparation for the September COP29 climate summit
• Human Rights Watch has found at least 25 instances of the arrest or sentencing of journalists and activists to stifle climate advocacy

🔭 The context: Azerbaijan will host the UN COP29 climate summit in November, with nearly 200 governments and heads of state expected to contribute to a new agreement to provide funds for tackling the climate crisis
• Azerbaijan is an authoritarian state accused of holding political prisoners and is regarded as one of the world’s most corrupt countries by Transparency International last year

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Holding COP29 in Azerbaijan raises serious concerns about the possibility of advancing ambitious climate action and goals in negotiations
• Violation, detainment, and prosecution based on political beliefs and activities is against the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights

⏭️ What's next: Nations are encouraged to speak out at the Bonn preparatory meeting about the repression of civil society and make clear that Azerbaijan actively confronts attempts to weaken robust climate policies
• The UN guarantees some freedom of expression for protesters within the confines of the COP29 during the two weeks it runs but doesn't inluence the host country’s behavior

💬 One quote: Bayramov, campaigning for the release of his father: “Cop29 lends legitimacy on the world stage to the government’s illegitimate imprisonment of my father. As his health has deteriorated to extreme levels, western governments continue to meet weekly with their Azerbaijani counterparts regarding Cop29. Meaningful progress on climate change cannot be achieved in a country where individuals like my father are imprisoned and tortured for speaking out”

📈 One stat: “There is little effective political opposition and the president, Ilham Aliyev, won more than 92% of the vote in elections in February to take a fifth consecutive term”

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