Human Rights in Azerbaijan Since the COP 29 UN Climate Change Conference

Hearing Notice

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on human rights issues in the Republic of Azerbaijan since the COP 29 UN Climate Change Conference, which took place in Baku in November 2024. 

Before the conference, Azerbaijan's role as host government was seen as an opportunity for the government to showcase itself and improve its international image. The government of Azerbaijan made a concerted effort to do so. At the same time there were many reports of dramatically increased repression in the run-up to and since the conference. 

The government of Azerbaijan has a notoriously poor human rights record. According to Freedom House, “Power in Azerbaijan's authoritarian regime remains heavily concentrated in the hands of Ilham Aliyev, who has served as president since 2003, and his extended family. Corruption is rampant, and the formal political opposition has been weakened by years of persecution. The authorities have carried out an extensive crackdown on civil liberties in recent years..."

The hearing will examine the Government of Azerbaijjan's human rights violations against those who oppose the government and its policies, include those abroad through transnational repression, and the relation between corruption and human rights abuses. It will also examine rights abuses against ethnic Armenians, including political prisoners and POWs. Since the government of Azerbaijan conducted a military operation to gain full control over Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, virtually all ethnic Armenians left Azerbaijan due to the government's record of anti-Armenian incitement and atrocities. Witnesses will offer recommendations for Congress. 

The hearing will be held in person and is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media. The public and the media may attend in person or view the hearing by live webcast on the Commission website. The hearing will also be available for viewing on the House Digital Channel service. For any questions, please contact Mark Milosch (for Co-Chair Smith) or Todd Stein (for Co-Chair McGovern). 

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