Azerbaijani political prisoners stated the need for equal human rights support.

46 imprisoned Azerbaijani activists, politicians, journalists, and human rights defenders appealed to international organizations and human rights institutions, urging them to pay more attention to the human rights situation in Azerbaijan and to cover all cases of alleged politically motivated persecution, rather than highlighting only individual persons.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", five Azerbaijani human rights organizations in exile appealed to the Council of Europe, calling for an assessment of the human rights situation in the country and a response to Baku's statements about a possible withdrawal from the organization. They pointed out that there are 328 political prisoners in the country. Human rights defenders noted that compromises made to maintain dialogue with Baku should not lead to the dilution of key standards of the Council of Europe.

Political prisoners called on foreign structures to more actively defend the rights of the convicted in Azerbaijan

On behalf of a group of imprisoned Azerbaijani activists, human rights defenders, and opposition members, a joint appeal was disseminated to international organizations, foreign governments, and human rights institutions, urging them to "reconsider approaches to advocating for human rights in Azerbaijan."

"International advocacy plays an important role in obtaining international support, establishing cooperation and partnerships with democratic institutions around the world," the appeal states, signed by about fifty individuals recognized by human rights defenders as political prisoners, and sent to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" by the relatives of the authors of the appeal.

According to the authors of the document, effective solutions to human rights issues in Azerbaijan are impossible without the active participation of the democratic world. At the same time, political prisoners emphasize that issues of democratization of the country and protection of citizens' freedoms should be considered not in isolation from each other, but as a unified whole.

The appeal outlines specific demands and expectations for three key groups.

Thus, to human rights defenders and advocates of advocacy campaigns, there is a call to conduct activities publicly, regularly report on their work, avoid narrow focus on individual persons or groups, and coordinate efforts with other representatives of civil society.

The authors of the appeal expect international donors and funding organizations to finance projects aimed at supporting all known political cases, rather than individual figures, stimulate coordination among human rights defenders, and prevent duplication of initiatives.

To international institutions, parliaments, and governments, there is a call to make public demands to Baku to comply with its obligations, to seek the release of political prisoners and cessation of persecutions, to facilitate priority consideration of complaints in the European Court of Human Rights, and to monitor the implementation of its decisions by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Separately, the document highlights demands for urgent measures to improve the conditions of detention and provide medical assistance to prisoners with deteriorating health, as well as to impose personal sanctions against officials fabricating politically motivated criminal cases.

As noted in the conclusion of the appeal, the text is based on the position of those political prisoners with whom contact was established, and the appeal remains open for signing by other arrested activists.

The appeal was signed by 46 people, including figures from the cases of Abzas Media, Toplum TV, Meydan TV, human rights defender Rufat Safarov, trade union activist Afiyaddin Mamedov, freelance journalist Anar Abdulla, election expert Mamed Mamedzade, media manager Imran Aliyev, activists of the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party Elnur Gasanov, Elhan Aliyev, Alihan Rajabli, Mehman Aliyev, Mamed Ibrahim, Novruz Tagiev, Niyameddin Akhmedov, Shakhin Gadzhiev, Agil Gumbatov, and others.

An activist called the personification harmful to the common cause

One of the Azerbaijani activists called the appeal of political prisoners "a breakthrough of pent-up issues."

"For a very long time, there has been dissatisfaction among political prisoners and their families regarding how advocacy for their defense is organized. Now, this is mainly done by those who managed to leave Azerbaijan, as it is practically impossible to conduct a public human rights campaign in the country itself. Unfortunately, some abroad pay more attention to the problems of their comrades and colleagues, and the cases of other political prisoners are pushed to the background. The same applies to international human rights organizations and funds; they also primarily defend those they know, those who have been their long-term partners, and the same goes for issues of material support. The same trend is observed in the activities of intergovernmental organizations and parliaments of foreign countries," said this activist, who wished to remain unnamed.

According to him, there should be no "ranking" of political prisoners into more important and less important persons.

"To some, there is very heightened attention. International organizations regularly draw attention to their cases. For example, the institutions of the Council of Europe periodically make statements regarding the case of the head of the NGO on elections Anar Mamedli, as he was awarded the PACE Václav Havel Prize at one time. The coalition of international human rights defenders conducts a separate campaign in his defense. The same applies to the economist Gubad Ibadoglu. Fortunately, the results of international efforts have borne fruit; he was recently released from the country. Of course, both Anar Mamedli and Gubad Ibadoglu faced great injustice; Anar is being convicted for the second time on fabricated charges. However, it is not quite right when international institutions selectively focus their efforts on individual cases, personifying the problem, even though the issue of political prisoners in Azerbaijan is a systemic human rights crisis," he pointed out.

Focusing attention on individual persons allows the authorities to engage in "political bargaining" with the West and ultimately release one or two political prisoners to gain international approval, while hundreds of people languish in prisons.

The international human rights movement itself also seems to have "bureaucratized," he believes. "There are no longer enthusiastic human rights defenders from the 1970s-1980s. Now, many international human rights organizations recruit people as 'professional staff.' Commitment to selfless work - the protection of human rights is not prioritized; rather, specific professional skills for office workers are emphasized. To solve the problem of political prisoners, consolidation of the international democratic community is needed. Along with political pressure on the authorities of the country, fair and equitable distribution of resources for advocacy campaigns to protect a wide range of political prisoners, material assistance to support families, and payment for lawyers' services is also important," said the activist.

In his view, personification of political prisoners' cases is also beneficial to the authorities of the country.

"Focusing attention on individual persons allows the authorities to engage in 'political bargaining' with the West and ultimately release one or two political prisoners to gain international approval, while hundreds of people languish in prisons," the activist further noted.

He pointed out that recently Azerbaijani activists in exile have intensified their efforts, and after the appeal to the Council of Europe, the Secretary General of the organization met with them during the autumn session of PACE.

"We expect that this meeting will not be a mere formality and that the Council of Europe will take concrete steps to address the problem of political prisoners in Azerbaijan," said the activist.

The Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić met with representatives of Azerbaijani civil society in exile during the autumn session of PACE on September 29.

"I shared my views on the importance of dialogue and cooperation with Azerbaijan and listened to their opinions on the situation in the country. I value this exchange and the role of independent voices," Burić wrote on the social network X.

In turn, one of the participants in the meeting from the Azerbaijani civil society, lawyer Emin Abbasov, commented on the meeting on the social network X:

"Azerbaijan's membership in the Council of Europe remains valuable for Azerbaijani society, but its significance depends on the (state's) respect for the values of the Organization."

In addition to Abbasov, Azerbaijani civil society was represented by economist Zohra Ismail, political scientist Elman Fatta. The authorities of Azerbaijan reject allegations of persecution of government critics. "Media freedom is ensured in Azerbaijan. There is no censorship in Azerbaijan, [but there is] free internet, and hundreds of media outlets operate. Therefore, it would be unfair to criticize Azerbaijan for actions allegedly aimed at hindering media development. What kind of restriction can there be with free internet?" said President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on April 26, 2025, in Berlin. The arrests of journalists Aliyev linked to "illegal financing from abroad."