On Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev

B90231/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on Azerbaijan, notably the repression of civil society and the cases of Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu and Ilhamiz Guliyev

(2024/2698(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on Azerbaijan,

– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

– having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,

– having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights,

– having regard to Rules 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure.

Whereas recently Azerbaijan intensified its crackdown on civil society, independent journalists and media workers, human rights defenders and political opposition; whereas the number of political prisoners has risen dramatically over the past year;

whereas Gubad Ibadoghlu, renowned political economist and chairperson of the Azerbaijani Movement of Democracy and Prosperity, was arbitrarily detained on 23 July 2023 and was kept in prison on dubious charges with limited contacts to his family and lawyer and reportedly subject to inhumane treatment; whereas since the EP resolution of 14 September 2023 his health has further deteriorated due to the lack of adequate medical treatment of his serious medical condition, poor detention conditions and inhumane treatment; whereas on 22 April Gubad Ibadoghlu was released into house arrest;

whereas on 4 December 2023, human rights activist Ilhamiz Guliyev was arrested on politically motivated charges, few months after his anonymous interview to AbzasMedia on the alleged practice of police planting drugs on political activists;

whereas on 25 January 2024 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided not to ratify the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation as the country has not fulfilled "major commitments" arising from its membership of the Council of Europe;

1. Urges the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release, Ilhamiz Guliyev and as many as 300 other political prisoners; takes note of the release of Gubad Ibadoghlu into house arrest and calls on the authorities to lift the travel ban and drop all charges against him;

2. Denounces the intensifying repression of civil society and political opposition as well as the ongoing major crackdown on independent media in Azerbaijan; condemns the latest arrests of journalists of the TV channel Toplum, AbzasMedia, Kanal 13 and others on trumped-up charges and calls for their immediate release;

3. Calls on the Commission to reconsider the ‘strategic partnership’ with Azerbaijan in the field of energy in light of the country’s alarming human rights record;

4. Stresses that the release of all political prisoners is an indispensable condition for signing any future partnership agreement with the EU;

5. Reiterates its call for EU sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime to be imposed on Azerbaijani officials who have committed serious human rights violations;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission/ High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the OSCE and to the President, Government and Parliament of Azerbaijan.