“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2024
2024
The Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan has published a new list, according to which the number of political prisoners in the country has reached 288, while according to data published in December 2023, the number was 245.
The list is divided into 7 groups: journalists and bloggers, members of opposition parties and movements, deportees from Germany, Tartar case, believers, Ganja case defendants, life-sentenced prisoners[1].
In addition, the names of 9 defendants of the "Ganja case" have been removed from the list due to the expiration of their sentences. 9 new names have been added to the "journalists and bloggers" group, bringing the total number of political prisoners in this category to 20. The number of political prisoners in the "members of parties and public organizations" group has increased by 9 to reach 22. 25 new names have been added to the "believers" group, bringing the total to around 208.
Elshan Hasanov, head of the Monitoring Center for Political Prisoners, told "Voice of America" that the increase in the number of political prisoners is due to the increase in discontent. "There are many grievances in the country. They do not solve the problems of those who are dissatisfied and have problems. The authorities see the way out of the situation not in solving the problems, but in arresting dissidents."
He added that the arrests of believers and journalists have increased sharply in recent months. A fierce campaign is waged against them. They are arrested on drug charges or other baseless charges, and the main reason is their faith. If this continues, discontent and protests will increase[2].
In early March, human rights activists noted that against the backdrop of deteriorating relations with Iran, the vector of political repression in Azerbaijan has shifted from pro-Western activists to members of the "Muslim Unity" movement. According to Elshan Hasanov, head of the Prisoners' Monitoring Center, 90 people have been arrested on drug trafficking charges in the past 2-3 months, their arrests accompanied by propaganda about the uncovering of an Iranian spy network. However, charges have been brought against them in drug trafficking[3].
Azerbaijani opposition figure Ali Karimli also periodically addresses this topic. He notes that the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan is alarming and that repression in the country is widespread.
In Azerbaijan, 26 out of every 1 million people are political prisoners, while in Russia there are 600 political prisoners. There, 4 out of every 1 million people are political prisoners. The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan exceeds that of Russia by 6-7 times. This situation has been going on for 30 years... It is known to everyone that repressions cover all strata of Azerbaijani society: believers, pro-Westerners, women, the elderly and young people, educated and uneducated people. Today, the most educated people of the country are in prison." According to the opposition figure, the authorities view everyone on the same level: men and women, old and young, educated and uneducated, participants and non-participants in the Karabakh war. They don't make a difference: "It is enough for you to love Azerbaijan, express free speech, not obey, want change in the country - you are already on the black list[4].
However, official Baku, despite all the existing arguments, continues to deny the existence of political prisoners in its country.
After all this, talking about human rights and freedoms, making demands to neighboring countries for changing legal norms, and emphasizing that the rights of national minorities are "protected" in the country, is at least an absurdity by the Azerbaijani authorities.
[1] ‘Azərbaycanda 200-dən çox siyasi məhbus var’ - hüquq müdafiəçiləri, https://www.azadliq.org/a/azerbaycan-siyasi-mehbuslar/32528046.html , accessed 24.06.2024թ., 22:00:
[2] Azərbaycanda siyasi məhbusların yeni siyahısına 288 nəfərin adı daxil edilib, https://www.amerikaninsesi.org/a/7532079.html, accessed 24.06.2024թ., 21:40:
[3] Число политзаключенных в Азербайджане превысило 200, https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/391068, accessed 26.06.2024թ., 23:03:
[4] Əli Kərimli: Siyasi məhbusların taleyinə biganə qalmağa haqqımız yoxdur, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN9MRxkCOy0, accessed 26.06.2024 թ., 22:29: