The EU pointed to human rights issues in Azerbaijan.

The European Union, in its annual report, once again pointed to serious problems with human rights and democracy in Azerbaijan. In Brussels, they noted restrictions on civil society and independent media, ongoing issues regarding the independence of the judiciary, and non-implementation of ECHR decisions. The EU acknowledged specific steps taken by Baku in the areas of child protection, gender equality, and anti-corruption, emphasizing that their practical implementation remains uneven.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on June 29, Azerbaijani political emigrants and human rights defenders sent an appeal to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen ahead of her visit to Baku, urging her to include issues of political prisoners, media freedom, and the state of civil society in the agenda for negotiations with the Azerbaijani authorities. After the appeal, activists faced pressure.

In 2025, the situation with human rights and democracy in Azerbaijan continued to raise serious concerns for the European Union, according to the EU report on the state of human rights and democracy in the world in 2025, published on the website of the EU Diplomatic Service.

According to the EU assessment, the governance system in Azerbaijan remained restrictive: opportunities for independent civil society were significantly narrowed, media freedom was limited, and issues regarding the independence of the judiciary remained unresolved.

Civil organizations continued to operate under strict administrative restrictions, the report states. Registration, reporting, and grant approval requirements stipulated by NGO legislation continued to complicate the activities of independent organizations. Additional concerns were raised by the reduction of international presence, particularly as several UN agencies, including UNDP and UNICEF, left Azerbaijan, which diminished opportunities for international monitoring and assistance. Local organizations also reported ongoing administrative pressure and increased control, the authors of the EU report indicate.

Serious problems in the area of the rule of law and judicial independence are also highlighted. Azerbaijani courts continued to be perceived as insufficiently independent, especially in politically sensitive cases, the report emphasizes.

In 2025, the European Court of Human Rights issued 39 decisions on cases related to Azerbaijan. Violations were found in 38 of them. The main complaints concerned the right to a fair trial, the legality of detention, freedom of expression, and freedom of assembly, the report states.

Non-implementation of ECHR decisions continued to complicate Baku's relations with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the authors of the study emphasize.

The electoral system also did not undergo significant changes. According to the EU, the authorities did not carry out meaningful reforms considering long-standing recommendations from the OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission.

At the same time, the report notes progress on some issues.

In particular, in July 2025, criminal liability for marrying minors was introduced in Azerbaijan. Additionally, the authorities approved a National Action Plan for Gender Equality for 2026-2028.

Amendments were also made to anti-corruption legislation. They provide, in particular, mechanisms for whistleblower protection and measures for managing corruption risks. At the same time, the EU notes that the practical implementation of these initiatives remains uneven.

In its activities in Azerbaijan, the report states, the EU continued to pay special attention to the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms, primarily the rights of vulnerable groups — women, children, and individuals detained in politically sensitive cases.

"In dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities, the EU and its member states advocated for adherence to due legal processes, access to justice, and the protection of fundamental freedoms. At the same time, Brussels continued to support civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders, despite the limited conditions for their work," the authors of the report indicate.

The EU, as the report's authors remind, also urged Baku to fulfill its international human rights obligations, including implementing decisions and continuing constructive engagement with the Council of Europe. Among the priorities remain digital rights, freedom of expression, and media freedom.

In 2025, the EU also continued to raise issues regarding the human rights situation in Azerbaijan at multilateral forums. In particular, cooperation with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights continued, including in preparation for the upcoming Universal Periodic Review of Azerbaijan in 2026-2027. The EU supported mechanisms aimed at ensuring the implementation of decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and continued engagement with the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. At the OSCE, the EU and its member states participated in discussions on media freedom and electoral standards, including regarding restrictions affecting the activities of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the report concludes.

One of the Baku activists expressed the opinion that the EU's efforts to influence the improvement of the human rights situation in Azerbaijan are insufficient.

"The report outlines human rights issues in Azerbaijan, indicating the actual absence of conditions for the activities of independent media and civil society institutions. However, high-ranking EU officials have stopped publicly voicing criticism. In official negotiations, energy issues, security, geopolitics, and transport take priority, while human rights are completely ignored. Merely stating problems in reports will not solve the issues. A principled dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities is necessary," the activist told a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity.

This year, Azerbaijan was visited by the President of the EU Council Antonio Costa, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and Ursula von der Leyen. "None of these representatives even mentioned the arrested activists and journalists," the activist noted earlier.

The main theme of the visits of EU leaders was energy security issues in Europe, increasing gas supplies, and the development of the Middle Corridor, which gained attention after the war against Iran and disruptions in global transportation due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Such a position regarding the suppression of human rights further encourages the regime to intensify repression and completely suppress dissent, emphasized the activist from Baku.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan and the European Union held negotiations on a new comprehensive agreement and a document on Partnership Priorities for 2026-2030 in Baku on June 2-3. Analysts linked the intensification of negotiations to Azerbaijan's increased importance for the EU in the fields of energy and transport logistics, but pointed out the absence of mentions of human rights violations in official Brussels communications.