Page 10 - Caucasus Outlook 2025

Pashinyan at the European Political Community Summit in October 2023.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan faced scrutiny from the Council of Europe, which excluded Azerbaijani deputies from its Parliamentary Assembly proceedings in 2024 due to concerns over human rights violations and corruption. In response, Aliyev hinted at the possibility of Azerbaijan leaving the Council of Europe.
One of the most concerning developments in 2024 was the escalating crackdown on independent media. Throughout the year, numerous journalists and media workers were arrested on various charges, including smuggling, illegal construction and resisting police. This pattern of arrests, often on trumped-up charges, appears to be part of a broader strategy to silence critical voices and maintain tight control over the information landscape. The government's intensified crackdown in the lead-up to COP29 and the presidential election suggests a desire to prevent negative coverage and maintain a positive image both domestically and internationally.
Azerbaijan presented COP29 as an opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to climate action and renewable energy. The conference saw the adoption of the "Baku Finance Goal", a commitment to triple climate finance to developing countries, reaching $300bn annually by 2035. Azerbaijan's own efforts in promoting transparency and submitting its Biennial Transparency Report ahead of the deadline were also highlighted during the conference. The conference achieved the full activation of the Loss and Damage Fund, a key mechanism to support vulnerable countries facing the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, COP29 facilitated progress towards activating Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which focuses on international carbon markets and cooperation mechanisms to reduce emissions.
Despite these achievements, COP29 was not without its controversies. Human rights groups criticised the lack of provisions in the host country agreement to protect the rights of civil society participants and ensure their freedom of expression during the conference. Amnesty International called on states to put pressure on the Azerbaijani authorities to end their assault on civil society and release those detained for exercising their right to freedom of expression. Critics argued that the event was used to whitewash the government's human rights abuses and deflect attention from its continued reliance on oil and gas revenues. Concerns were raised about the potential for "greenwashing", with Azerbaijan using the conference to present a positive environmental image while continuing to prioritise fossil fuel production.
In December 2024, six journalists associated with Meydan TV, an independent news outlet based in Berlin, were detained on smuggling charges. Meydan TV, whose website has been blocked in Azerbaijan since 2019, has been a frequent target of government harassment. The Interior Ministry stated that the journalists were detained after police obtained information about the alleged smuggling of foreign currency into the country. However, Meydan TV refuted these charges, asserting that they were politically motivated and connected to the journalists'
10 Caucasus Outlook 2025 www.intellinews.com