ArmInfo. Long-term human rights concerns persisted in Azerbaijan in 2023. The government severely restricted freedoms of expression, assembly, and association. This is stated in the report of the Human Rights Watch as part of its review of the human rights situation in the world in the Azerbaijan section.
The report's authors note that despite some progress on a notorious torture case, torture and ill-treatment in police custody and places of detention persisted.
"The May presidential pardon included a handful of people whose convictions were believed to be politically motivated, yet dozens remained wrongfully imprisoned. Authorities sentenced numerous critics to 30-day detention terms, following perfunctory misdemeanor trials, and arrested two civic activists, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev and Gubad Ibadoghlu, who face long prison terms. The authorities' violent crushing of two separate grassroots protests over environmental issues highlighted their intolerance for public expression of legitimate concerns as well as public frustration with the government's failure to protect the environment. The prosecutor's office closed criminal investigations against several NGOs targeted in 2014. Investigations against others appear to have remained open. Restrictive laws impeded civil society groups from operating independently and accessing funding."
In the Nagorno-Karabakh section, the report's authors in particular, note:"On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military operation to regain full control over Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh forces surrendered after one day of fighting. More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians-nearly the entire Armenian population of the area-fled to Armenia. The military operation followed months of acute shortages of food, medication, hygiene products, and other essential supplies to the area due to Azerbaijan's disruption of vehicular and pedestrian traffic between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh that started in December 2022. Starting in mid-June, Azerbaijan blocked all humanitarian goods transport and periodically blocked International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) patient transports. Azerbaijan also cut power and gas lines, causing regular, daily blackouts.
Even before the military operation in September, military skirmishes had periodically broken out in other areas along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and in Nagorno- Karabakh, threatening the safety and livelihoods of civilians residing in those areas. Azerbaijan refused to implement February and July interim measure decisions by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) calling on Azerbaijan to ensure "unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions."
Following the September military operation, Azerbaijan arrested several leaders of the de facto authorities, charging them with, inter alia, financing terrorism, establishing illegal armed formations, and illegal border crossing. A historic December 2023 joint statement between the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaderships on steps to normalize relations announced Azerbaijan's intention to release "32 Armenian servicemen" and Armenia's intention to release "2 Azerbaijani military servicemen." Governments and intergovernmental organizations expressed alarm about the humanitarian situation. In an October resolution, the European Parliament called on Azerbaijan to "allow the safe return of the Armenian population" and "offer solid guarantees regarding the protection of their rights" and also called for the establishment of an international monitoring mission under UN auspices. In an October joint statement at the UN Human Rights Council, 34 countries called on Azerbaijan to "promptly create conditions for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return" of ethnic Armenians and provide for international monitoring of the situation.
It is also emphasized that the Azerbaijani authorities arrested at least nine civic activists who criticized online the September 19 military operation in Karabakh. "Following the September military operation, Azerbaijan arrested several leaders of the de facto authorities, charging them with, inter alia, financing terrorism, establishing illegal armed formations, and illegal border crossing."