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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

TA-10-2024-0074 · P10_TA(2024)0074 · PE767.564

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✦ In short · AI summary of this text, generated 4 Sept 2026

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Parliament condemns Azerbaijan's human rights violations and politically motivated prosecutions, urging the release of all political prisoners and an end to the crackdown on dissidents, independent media, and civil society. It demands lifting travel bans and charges against Gubad Ibadoghlu, ending media repression, imposing EU sanctions on Azerbaijani officials, and making EU-Azerbaijan agreements conditional on human rights.

Key points

  1. Strongly condemns Azerbaijan's human rights violations, including abuses of freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly, and politically motivated abuse of the criminal justice system.
  2. Urges Azerbaijani authorities to end the crackdown on dissident groups and unconditionally release and drop charges against human rights defenders, journalists, and activists prosecuted on fabricated charges.
  3. Demands lifting the travel ban on Gubad Ibadoghlu, dropping all charges, and allowing urgent treatment abroad; deplores his inability to attend the Sakharov Prize ceremony.
  4. Calls on Azerbaijan to align laws on registration and funding of NGOs and media with Venice Commission recommendations and end repression of MeydanTV, ToplumTV, Abaz Media, and Kanal13.
  5. Calls for EU sanctions under its global human rights sanctions regime on Azerbaijani officials responsible for serious violations, including Fuad Alasgarov, Vilayat Eyvazov, and Ali Naghiyev.
  6. Insists that any EU-Azerbaijan partnership agreement, including on energy, be conditional on respect for fundamental rights and release of all political prisoners; calls on the Commission to suspend the 2022 energy memorandum.

Who is affected

  • Azerbaijani authorities and officials, who are urged to release prisoners and face potential EU sanctions.
  • Political prisoners and detainees in Azerbaijan, including Gubad Ibadoghlu, Anar Mammadli, and others, who would be released and have charges dropped.
  • Independent media outlets in Azerbaijan, including MeydanTV, ToplumTV, Abaz Media, and Kanal13, which would face reduced repression.
  • EU institutions, including the Commission, which are called to impose sanctions and suspend the energy agreement.

Figures and deadlines

  • over 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijan
  • 23 Armenian prisoners of war