Leyla Yunus: "The Ombudsman has never spoken about any public or political activist or journalist who has been arrested and has even demonstrated incompetence in non-political cases."

On February 24, the Human Rights Commissioner (Ombudsman) Sabina Aliyeva presented a report to parliament on the protection of human rights in Azerbaijan for 2024. A 99-page report was later published on the institution’s website, but it contained no mention of the state of fundamental human rights and freedoms, political arrests, or complaints regarding torture in Azerbaijan.

While the Ombudsman’s report to parliament stated that 29,371 complaints had been reviewed, it failed to address even a single one of the many complaints about torture and inhumane treatment that civil society organizations publicly reported throughout the year. Such complaints were also absent from the institution’s fact-finding mission reports.

Leyla Yunus, human rights defender and director of the Peace and Democracy Institute, told “Abzas Media” that not only this year's report but also previous Ombudsman reports have failed to document human rights violations in the country. According to her, although the Ombudsman’s Office was established based on international recommendations, it has long served only as a façade.

"We understood this because the Ombudsman plays only a formal role as an institution in Azerbaijan. The previous Ombudsman, Elmira Suleymanova, also never included any information about political persecution in her statements or reports. However, at least she would meet and speak with human rights defenders. Sabina Aliyeva, on the other hand, is solely focused on praising the government."

In its latest report, the Peace and Democracy Institute stated that there are 357 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. According to Leyla Yunus, the Ombudsman has never spoken about any arrested public or political activist or journalist and has even demonstrated incompetence in non-political cases.

"Twenty-seven of the political prisoners are journalists, and eight of them are women. Were their names mentioned in the report? No. Did the Ombudsman say anything about the four imprisoned human rights defenders, 32 arrested public and political activists, Bahruz Samadov, the opposition figures arrested after being deported from Germany, the detained religious activists, or the four imprisoned Talysh activists? No!"

In Azerbaijan, 2024 has been marked by intensified pressure, with journalists and human rights defenders facing increased arrests. This has occurred in a year when both presidential and parliamentary elections were held and when the country hosted the United Nations Climate Conference.

Shortly before the Ombudsman’s report was released, the international human rights organization “Human Rights Watch” published its findings, documenting the arrests of human rights defender Anar Mammadli, opposition politician Tofiq Yaqublu, Imran Aliyev—head of the Meclis.info platform monitoring parliamentary activity—as well as journalists from “Abzas Media”, “Toplum TV”, and the “Kanal13” YouTube channel.

The report mentions that Fazil Gasimov, who was arrested in connection with the criminal case against Gubad Ibadoglu, has been subjected to physical violence and torture, while Imran Aliyev was reportedly subjected to electric shocks. Additionally, the report notes that “Abzas Media”s imprisoned director, Ulvi Hasanli, publicized 58 cases of torture committed in the Baku Pretrial Detention Center, after which he himself was threatened with harm by his cellmate.

"Particularly in the section on the protection of human and civil rights and freedoms, the worsening situation in the field of civil and political liberties is not reflected in the report. The restrictive legal framework and the practical environment affecting civil society and media are not specifically assessed. Unlawful arrests, politically motivated criminal cases and court rulings, and mistreatment in detention centers and penitentiary institutions are not addressed in the report," human rights defender Fuad Hasanov emphasized.

According to Fuad Hasanov, although the report mentions issues related to lawyers' professional activities, it does not classify them systematically:

"The report does not include the suspension of cooperation with the Council of Europe's Committee for the Prevention of Torture, which is crucial for the Ombudsman Institution. Furthermore, it does not call for the restoration of this cooperation, despite Azerbaijan's legal obligations as a member of the Council of Europe."

It should be noted that in July 2023, the Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of the Council of Europe issued a statement declaring that the Azerbaijani government had ceased cooperation with the committee. The committee emphasized that this constituted a grave violation of the European Convention.

The committee’s 2022 report on prison conditions in Azerbaijan documented numerous complaints of physical violence and torture against detainees. These acts of torture were reportedly directed primarily at detainees who refused to accept additional charges.

Fuad Hasanov argues that while the Ombudsman Institution may carry out certain tasks related to addressing human rights violations, it fails to function effectively in accordance with its classical mandate.

"The recommendations section of the report is significant, but many of these recommendations are recycled from previous years, with no observed implementation," said human rights defender Fuad Hasanov. "While international organizations consider cooperation with the Ombudsman Institution essential for information and experience-based collaboration, such reports are not regarded as highly credible."

Since November 2023, Azerbaijan has witnessed a second wave of mass repression against media and civil society in the past decade.

Independent journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition activists have been systematically summoned for investigation in various criminal cases. The detained individuals assert that their arrests are politically motivated and that the charges against them are fabricated.