European Parliament adopts resolution calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution, condemning the Azerbaijani government’s crackdown on civil society and media.

The preamble of the document notes that since 2023, Azerbaijani authorities have been engaged in systematic crackdown against civil society, political opposition, human rights defenders, and independent media, which has intensified in the context of COP29. There are currently over 300 political prisoners in Azerbaijan, along with 23 Armenian prisoners of war.

The European Parliament has strongly condemned the continuous human rights violations by the Azerbaijani regime, including the freedoms of speech and peaceful demonstrations, as well as the political misuse of the criminal justice system. Azerbaijani authorities have been urged to immediately cease the repression of all dissenting groups and to unconditionally release and drop all charges against human rights defenders, journalists, and political and other activists who are being pursued for fake and politically motivated reasons.

The resolution calls on the EU to impose sanctions against Azerbaijani officials. The authors of the resolution insist that any partnership agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan, including in the energy sector, be strictly conditioned on the respect for fundamental rights and the release of all political prisoners. The resolution also calls on the commission to suspend the 2022 Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Energy Partnership.