AzerbaijanAzerbaijani NGOs in exile call on Council of Europe to take measures against Bakuby Rafig Shahbazov• 3 min readShare▲Council of EuropeFive Azerbaijani NGOs in exile have called on the Council of Europe to apply coordinated measures against Azerbaijan, including action to secure the release of political prisoners and inquiries into torture. Azerbaijan’s relations with the Council of Europe and its agencies and bodies have been tense for years. The Council has often criticised Baku’s human rights track record, often issuing statements condemning its treatment of politicians, journalists, and civil society actors.The NGO’s statement claimed Azerbaijan had one of the highest rates of non-implementation of judgments by the ECHR, calculating that 68% of the court’s judgments concerning Azerbaijan were not implemented. The groups urged the Council of Europe to act over human rights violations in Azerbaijan and the country’s non-compliance with its obligations as a member of the Council. The statement, which appears to be the first of its kind addressing the Council of Europe, was signed by the Independent Lawyers Network, Caspian Research and Analysis Center, Open Azerbaijan Initiative, Free Voice Collective, and the Institute for Democratic Initiatives. ‘The European Convention on Human Rights establishes the collective protection of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law as a shared responsibility of the organisation’s member states’, the statement read. ‘It is based on this shared obligation and responsibility that we call on Council of Europe member states to take joint and consistent steps within the organisation’s institutions to ensure that Azerbaijan fulfills its membership obligations.’ The group noted that Azerbaijan joined the Council of Europe in 2001 and acceded to the European Convention on Human Rights in 2002, providing Azerbaijani citizens with access to international legal protection. They said the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) had become the only effective avenue for justice in cases where domestic remedies were ineffective. The organisations noted, however, that the Azerbaijani authorities have sought to portray the Council of Europe’s monitoring mechanisms as interference in the country’s sovereignty and have pursued policies that question the legitimacy of the organisation’s institutions. A human rights crisis has been unfolding in Azerbaijan since 2022, with independent media and the political opposition facing increasingly severe restrictions. ‘Reports by independent organisations indicate that there are at least 328 political prisoners in the country,’ the statement said. ‘Representatives of civil society, journalists, and political activists are being sentenced to lengthy prison terms of up to 10–15 years.’ The organisations further accused the Azerbaijani authorities of torture and ill-treatment of these prisoners, citing allegations of sexual harassment against female prisoners which they say had intensified in the first half of 2026. They also said that existing forms of engagement, including the Council of Europe’s office in Baku and visits by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), should not contribute to legitimising the situation in Azerbaijan. ‘Allowing the erosion of the organisation’s fundamental principles in order to preserve a state’s membership could have more serious and long-term consequences for the Council of Europe and all its member states’, the group said. The organisations acknowledged that a principled response could accelerate the Azerbaijani government’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe, but argued that responsibility for such a decision would rest with the Azerbaijani government rather than the organisation itself. They have urged the Council to respond to Azerbaijan’s suspension of cooperation with the organisation and its failure to implement judgements in the case of Anar Mammadli, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison in September. https://oc-media.org/azerbaijani-human-rights-activist-anar-mammadli-sentenced-to-13-years-in-prison/ They called on the Secretary General to request an official explanation from the Azerbaijani government regarding the human rights situation in the country and its disregard of ECHR rulings. The organisations also called on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the Committee of Ministers, and the Secretary General to keep the situation in Azerbaijan on their agenda and take coordinated steps to secure the release of prisoners in the country. Relations between Azerbaijan and PACE have become tense in recent years due to disagreements over human rights, political prisoners, and democratic institutions. Azerbaijan withdrew from PACE in January 2024 after the body voted not to ratify its delegation’s credentials. PACE President Petra Bayr has since said that Azerbaijan’s return to the assembly would hinge on Baku’s removal of at least 70 PACE members from its blacklist, including Bayr himself. Bayr also said that if Baku was serious about returning to PACE, it should at least release some well-known political prisoners. Shortly afterwards, however, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that if Azerbaijan were to leave the Council of Europe altogether, ‘no one in our country would feel it’. Azerbaijan became a full member of the Council of Europe in 2001, undertaking commitments on human rights and a range of other issues. The country, however, remains subject to the Council of Europe’s monitoring procedure. Rafiq Shahbazov is a journalist based in Tbilisi, covering political and social developments in Azerbaijan, as well as issues affecting ethnic Azerbaijanis in the region. He has worked with independent media outlets. His work focuses on human rights, environmental issues, and pressure on journalists and civil society.