{"id":30708,"date":"2025-12-09T09:49:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T08:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/free-anar.site\/?p=30708"},"modified":"2025-12-09T11:18:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T10:18:01","slug":"press-release-human-rights-crisis-in-azerbaijan-eu-must-stop-trading-away-its-principles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/press-release-human-rights-crisis-in-azerbaijan-eu-must-stop-trading-away-its-principles\/","title":{"rendered":"Press release: Human Rights Crisis in Azerbaijan: EU Must Stop Trading Away its Principles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ background_color=”#f3dc95″ transparent_background=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”7px|0px|40px|0px||” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”off” custom_width_px=”1080px” custom_width_percent=”80%” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text content_tablet=”

Human Rights Crisis in Azerbaijan:
EU Must Stop Trading Away its Principles<\/h1>\n

For immediate release: Baku, Brussels, Geneva, 9 December 2025 \u2014 Azerbaijan\u2019s geopolitical relevance has grown through its control of energy routes and its balancing act in the oil and gas market. At the same time, the EU shifted from a values-based partnership to a transactional approach centred on energy, trade and connectivity. Published today, the report of the Campaign to End Repression in Azerbaijan<\/a> examines how the European Union deprioritised human rights in its relationship with Azerbaijan.
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Human Rights Crisis in Azerbaijan:
EU Must Stop Trading Away its Principles<\/h1>\n

For immediate release: Baku, Brussels, Geneva, 9 December 2025 \u2014 Azerbaijan\u2019s geopolitical relevance has grown through its control of energy routes and its balancing act in the oil and gas market. At the same time, the EU shifted from a values-based partnership to a transactional approach centred on energy, trade and connectivity. Published today, the report of the Campaign to End Repression in Azerbaijan<\/a> examines how the European Union deprioritised human rights in its relationship with Azerbaijan.
<\/span><\/b><\/h6>” content_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ text_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” hover_enabled=”0″ use_border_color=”off” border_style=”solid” inline_fonts=”Oswald” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]

Human Rights Crisis in Azerbaijan:
EU Must Stop Trading Away its Principles<\/h1>\n

For immediate release: Baku, Brussels, Geneva, 9 December 2025 \u2014 Azerbaijan\u2019s geopolitical relevance has grown through its control of energy routes and its balancing act in the oil and gas market. At the same time, the EU shifted from a values-based partnership to a transactional approach centred on energy, trade and connectivity. Published today, the report of the Campaign to End Repression in Azerbaijan<\/a> examines how the European Union deprioritised human rights in its relationship with Azerbaijan.
<\/span><\/b><\/h6>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”1px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]

The April 2025 visit to Baku by Kaja Kallas, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, symbolised this turn toward geopolitical pragmatism. Human rights were barelymentioned during the visit, signalling that values are no longer central to the EU\u2019s engagement with Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n

Azerbaijan built a system designed to eliminate independent voices and civic freedoms: The European Union is seeking closer relations with a country experiencing the most intense period of repression since independence. Human rights lawyer Samed Rahimli<\/strong>, member of the Steering Committee of the Campaign, highlights the scale of the deterioration:<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Azerbaijan suppressed independent civil society, media space and opposition politicians through restrictive legislation, criminal prosecutions, harassment and police violence against protestors. Human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, politicians, civic activists and scholars face arbitrary detention, smear campaigns, coerced confessions, misuse of laws and solitary confinement. Independent NGOs cannot register or access funding; independent media outlets have been closed. With at least 400 political prisoners, Azerbaijan now has the highest number since joining the Council of Europe<\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite Azerbaijan\u2019s clear unwillingness to engage on human rights or the rule of law, the European Union signed a strategic energy memorandum with the country. Economist and human rights defender<\/strong> Zohrab Ismayil<\/strong>, also a member of the Steering Committee, underlines how energy policy has shaped the EU\u2019s shift<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Since the 2022 energy memorandum, issues such as natural gas, connectivity, and the Middle Corridor have taken precedence in EU\u2013Azerbaijan relations, overshadowing concerns about human rights and democratic standards. Although Azerbaijan provides only a small portion of the EU\u2019s total energy imports, the political drive for diversification has increased Baku\u2019s leverage. As a result, energy and trade cooperation has often been treated as separate from Azerbaijan\u2019s growing authoritarianism.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/strong>report<\/strong><\/a><\/span> concludes that the founding values of the European Union are at risk and calls for a fundamental reset of EU policy towards Azerbaijan.<\/strong><\/p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/free-anar.site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Report-front-page.png” alt=”Report EU-Azerbaijan Trading Away Principles: Trading Away Principles. Human Rights Crisis in Azerbaijan: the European Union Prioritises Energy and Geopolitics: Front page” title_text=”Report EU-Azerbaijan Trading Away Principles: Trading Away Principles. Human Rights Crisis in Azerbaijan: the European Union Prioritises Energy and Geopolitics: Front page” url=”https:\/\/free-anar.site\/report-eu-azerbaijan\/” url_new_window=”on” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” border_width_all=”3px” border_color_all=”#000000″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_cta title=”Recieve Updates from our Crisis Desk” button_url=”https:\/\/free-anar.site\/newsletter\/” button_text=”SUBSCRIBE” _builder_version=”4.25.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” header_text_color=”#4f8991″ body_text_color=”#f3dc95″ custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#f3dc95″ button_bg_color=”#d32329″ button_border_width=”0px” button_border_radius=”11px” button_font=”–et_global_heading_font||||||||” button_icon=”||fa||900″ width=”66%” module_alignment=”center” min_height=”100px” custom_margin=”80px|||||” box_shadow_style=”preset1″ locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Human Rights Crisis in Azerbaijan:EU Must Stop Trading Away its Principles For immediate release: Baku, Brussels, Geneva, 9 December 2025 \u2014 Azerbaijan\u2019s geopolitical relevance has grown through its control of energy routes and its balancing act in the oil and gas market. At the same time, the EU shifted from a values-based partnership to a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[39],"class_list":["post-30708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-crisis-update"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30708"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30723,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30708\/revisions\/30723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.endrepression-az.org\/az\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}