Azerbaijan ranks 6th in "Freedom in the World 2006" by Freedom House 

ArmInfo.  Azerbaijan ranked 6th in the "Freedom in the World 2026" report prepared by the international human rights organization Freedom House, falling one spot from last year and maintaining its "not free" status.

The organization emphasizes that since 2005, Azerbaijan has seen a  steady strengthening of authoritarian rule, centered on President  Ilham Aliyev and his family. Freedom House analysts note that after  succeeding his father as president in 2003, Aliyev implemented  constitutional changes that expanded presidential powers, abolished  term limits, and weakened any remaining legislative or judicial  autonomy. In the absence of an independent judiciary or even  independent media, corruption continues to flourish, and the Aliyev  family views state property as a source of private wealth.

"Authoritarian regimes like Azerbaijan's can exploit the full power  of state institutions, abuse state resources, and rely on corrupt  patronage networks to maintain their political dominance. The Aliyevs  have used the state oil company as a vehicle for political and  economic largesse, awarding lucrative contracts and leadership  positions to businesses and individuals loyal to the regime. In  exchange, during elections, recipients of this support pressure  employees to support the ruling party by attending political rallies  and participating in other public displays of loyalty. Furthermore,  state funds are used to fund pro-government media outlets, which  enhance the regime's image while denigrating any opposition," the  Freedom House report states.

At the same time, the human rights organization noted that when  patronage and propaganda prove insufficient to suppress dissent,  autocrats use their control over security forces and the criminal  justice system to resort to harsher forms of repression. In this  vein, it acknowledges that while Azerbaijan has maintained its "Not  Free" status since 2002, its rating has fallen from 33 to just 6 out  of 100 over the past two decades, as the authorities have intensified  repression of civil liberties. Journalists, human rights defenders,  and members of the political opposition face arbitrary arrests and  prosecution on trumped-up criminal charges, and are also deprived of  basic procedural rights during unfair trials.

"Amendments to the law adopted in 2018 stipulate that only lawyers  from the Azerbaijan Bar Association, which operates under the  Ministry of Justice, can represent clients in court, and nearly all  independent human rights lawyers in the country have been disbarred  or suspended from practicing law," Freedom House added.

For details follow link  https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2026/growing-shadow-  autocracy?fbclid=IwY2xjawQp1R1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFtYWRmUjloNUFmMFBYeXg3c3J0Y wZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgKYJMns0qDmwckLZx6-X_cLB4HgFaxLSG- f7aPNeI6_fE1th_c7tB-I7l9-_aem_0hHDPA92A6iiNiz3wKX1yQ