The rally in Baku (Caucasian Knot)
Several thousand people protested in Baku on 10 March, in a rally organised by Azerbaijan’s two largest opposition groups against President Ilham Aliyev. The groups have announced they plan to boycott the presidential elections scheduled for 11 April. [Read more…]
(Vafa Zeynalova /OC Media)
Baku is the largest and one of the most polluted cities in the South Caucasus. Seven percent of the city’s territory is occupied by dumps. One of the largest rubbish processing plants in Europe has operated in the city for five years, but this has not solved the problem. [Read more…]
(contact.az)
A fire at a drug rehabilitation centre in Baku has left at least 24 people dead and several more injured. Local media quoted Health Ministry officials as saying that three people have been hospitalised, and more than 30 rescued. [Read more…]
Gozal Bayramli (RFE/Rl)
Azerbaijani opposition politician Gozal Bayramli was sentenced to 3 years in prison by an Azerbaijani court on 23 January. Bayramli was detained at the border last May while crossing from Georgia, and charged with attempting to smuggle €12,000 ($13,400) in cash. [Read more…]
Harlem Désir, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (OSCE)
The OSCE Media Freedom representative, Harlem Désir, has called on Azerbaijani authorities to end ‘restrictive measures detrimental to journalists’ freedom and safety’. The following day, authorities in Baku arrested another journalist, editor-in-chief of the Khural newspaper, Avaz Zeynalov. [Read more…]
Despite the veneer of patriarchy and the respect for the elderly, the life of old people in Azerbaijan is hard, especially when they are lonely. With an average pension of $100, they can only hope for help from shelters, kind neighbours, and volunteers.
Orkhan Adigozal (Vafa Zeynalova)
People with disability in Azerbaijan are trying to craft normal lives. But their efforts are hampered by badly designed infrastructure, discrimination at every turn, and flawed legislation. [Read more…]
Azerbaijan’s State Security Service (APA)
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of National Security says they have killed three members of an armed group who were planning a terrorist attack during an opposition demonstration. [Read more…]
The office of the queer rights group Gender and Development (Vafa Zeynalova/OC Media)
Last month, reports emerged of the mass detention of queer people in Azerbaijan. OC Media spoke to one of the men caught up in the roundup, and a number of activists offering assistance. They tell of illegal arrests, humiliation, and even torture, as authorities continue to apply pressure. [Read more…]
Opposition activists during the demonstration on 7 October (Azadliq Radio)
Hundreds of people gathered in Baku on 7 October to protest against state corruption. The rally was organised by the National Council of Democratic Forces — an umbrella group consisting of several of Azerbaijan’s opposition groups. [Read more…]