On continued repression of civil society and independent media in Azerbaijan and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, Anar Mammadli, Kamran Mammadli, Rufat Safarov and Meydan TV

B100236/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on continued repression of civil society and independent media in Azerbaijan and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu, Anar Mammadli, Kamran Mammadli, Rufat Safarov and Meydan TV

(2024/2994(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to its previous resolutions on Azerbaijan,

having regard to Rule 150 (5) of its Rules of Procedure,

whereas Azerbaijan has serious shortcomings in the area of fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression and assembly and media freedom, and engages in repression of political activists, journalists and civil society, all of which distances Azerbaijan from democratic norms and international human rights standards; whereas corruption and a lack of judicial independence further undermine the country’s governance, while government authorities continue to suppress dissent and persecute critics;

whereas Gubad Ibadoghlu, a political economist and opposition figure, was arrested by Azerbaijani authorities in July 2023 and remained in detention until 22 April 2024, when he was placed on house arrest; whereas in December 2024 a court extended Ibadoglu’s travel ban, which prevents him from traveling abroad to receive essential treatment for his heart condition, which deteriorated severely during his pre-trial detention;

whereas Anar Mammadli, a prominent human rights defender and head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center, was detained in April 2024 on charges of smuggling money into Azerbaijan; whereas his health has reportedly deteriorated during his detention;

whereas animal rights activist Kamran Mammadli was detained in the margins of the recent COP29 climate conference;

whereas Rufat Safarov, a human rights defender and former investigator at the Prosecutor’s Office, was detained on 3 December 2024 on charges of fraud and hooliganism and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted;

whereas on 6 December 2024 Azerbaijani authorities detained five journalists associated with Meydan TV, a Berlin-based Azerbaijani media outlet, and one independent journalist on charges of foreign currency smuggling; whereas they face up to eight years in prison;

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Expresses its concern about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan; urges Azerbaijan to fulfil its obligations under its own constitution and under international agreements to protect fundamental freedoms and respect the human dignity of its citizens, and to ban the use of criminal prosecution as a tool to suppress government critics and members of civil society;

Calls on Azerbaijan to lift the travel ban on Gubad Ibadoghlu, to drop all charges against him and to allow him independent medical examination by a doctor of his own choosing and to receive treatment abroad;

Calls on the authorities to release Anar Mammadli, Kamran Mammadli, Rufat Safarov, the journalists linked to Meydan TV and all others imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights, and to drop all charges against them;

Calls on Azerbaijan to lift undue restrictions on independent media by bringing laws related to registration and funding of nongovernmental groups and media into compliance with international standards and recommendations issued by the Venice Commission.

Calls on the EU Delegation in Baku to monitor all aforementioned cases and calls on the EU to step up its efforts to promote human rights and democratic governance in Azerbaijan;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Government and Parliament of Azerbaijan.