Ahead of the 28th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC), 11 human rights organisations are calling upon the intergovernmental body to address Azerbaijan's rapidly deteriorating environment for human rights defenders (HRDs), civil society organisations (CSOs) and independent media.
Background
Since early 2014, the Government of Azerbaijan has orchestrated an unprecedented campaign to suppress dissenting voices in the country. As a result of this unrelenting crackdown on human rights and fundamental freedoms, several dozen HRDs, including bloggers, journalists, peaceful political activists and others remain imprisoned. In addition, many independent media outlets and CSOs in the country have been forced to cease their activities or subjected to legal prosecution or other targeted government persecution.