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Serious problems in the field of human rights, freedom of speech, and corruption were observed in Azerbaijan during 2015. The authorities applied violence against human rights defenders and journalists, and limited the NGO activities, according to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2015 by the US Department of State.

It is noted that in 2015, international human rights organizations reported at least 37 noncombat-related deaths in the military, including suicides and soldiers killed by fellow service members.

It is reported that prison conditions are sometimes harsh and potentially life threatening due to inadequate nutrition and poor medical care. Corruption among law enforcement officers is a problem, and it is emphasized that most officials, who abuse their power, remain in impunity.

Very often, lawyers were denied direct access to their clients. Although the law forbids arbitrary arrest and detention in prison, the Azerbaijani government do not always respect these provisions. “Political prisoners were incommunicado for hours, sometimes for days. Local NGOs and international groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch criticized the government for arresting politicians and activists and noted that authorities frequently fabricated the charges (illegal possession of drugs, resistance to the police, inciting public disorder, and so on)," the report reads.

According to the report, the courts often limit independent, including diplomatic, observation of trials, as in case of Leyla and ArifYunus and Khadija Ismayilova. Despite some defendants’ claims that authorities obtained testimony through torture or abuse, courts did not dismiss cases.

“There are many political prisoners in the country, and according to Amnesty International, most of them – famous human rights defender and activist RasulJafarov, lawyer and human rights defender IntigamAliyev, Arif and Leyla Yunus, journalist Khadija Ismayilova – are prisoners of conscience,” the report reads.

It is further emphasized that the police continued to intimidate, persecute, and arrest relatives of independent journalists, opposition members and leaders, as well as several NGO members and leaders. There were also reports about the authorities’ dismissing of relatives of many political activists from their positions.

As noted, the situation in the field of the freedom of speech and press in Azerbaijan leaves much to desire. The government limits freedom of speech and media; journalists face intimidation and at times are beaten and imprisoned. The authorities “use the judicial system to punish dissent.” In Azerbaijan, 13 journalists and bloggers were detainees as of year’s end. It is reminded that EminHuseynov, the chair of the IRFS, was obliged to hide in the Swiss Embassy because of the authorities' harassment and left the country on the Swiss Foreign Minister's plane. In addition, the government attempts to impede criticism by monitoring political and civil society meetings.

As for the freedom of press, it is highlighted that opposition newspapers are available outside Baku only in limited numbers. Foreign broadcasters, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and the BBC, remain prohibited from broadcasting on FM radio frequencies. On September 21, 2015, a Presidential Administration official publicly accused international media of “operating illegally” in the country. In this connection, he criticized Berlin-based online Meydan TV and Voice of America.

Local observers reported about repressions against journalists.  The majority of independent and opposition newspapers remained in a precarious financial situation having problems paying wages, taxes, and periodic court fines. Most media avoid topics considered politically sensitive due to fear of government retaliation. The government even monitored the internet communications of activists, as a result of which, many youth activists were arrested. On May 6 of the last year, opposition Musavat Party activist FarajKarimovwas arrested. He administered two popular Facebook pages - Istefa and BASTA - that were critical of human rights violations, social problems, and corruption.

As for the NGOs, in 2014, their activities were greatly limited. Authorities froze NGO bank accounts, harassed local staff, including incarcerating and placing travel bans on some NGO leaders. As a result, many NGO stopped their activities. 

It is also reported that ODIHR cancelled its observation of the November 1 legislative elections when the government refused to accept ODIHR’s recommended number of short-term and long-term election monitors, as the Azerbaijani government imposed several sanctions on the mission. Therefore, it was impossible to assess properly the fairness of the elections.  Nevertheless, independent local and international monitors that observed the election alleged a wide range of irregularities, and the country’s main opposition parties boycotted the election.

Opposition members often experienced official harassment and arbitrary arrest and detention. For example, Musavat party deputy chairmanTofigYagublu was convicted and sentenced for allegedly “inciting civil unrest.”

It is also reported that high-level corruption still remains a problem. For example, investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova was convicted on a variety of charges considered unfounded by observers. Many international human rights organizations asserted Ismayilova’s arrest and conviction were directly related to her investigative reporting of high-level corruption.

“The government thinks that international organizations, including the UN, had no right to act in ways authorities saw as interfering in the country’s internal politics. As a result, the OSCE Baku office was closed on July 4,” the report reads.

In addition, as it is emphasized in the report of the US Department of State, in Azerbaijan, the rights of children are also violated. For example, families in impoverished rural areas sometimes place a higher priority on the education of boys and keep girls in the home to work. Some poor families force their children to work or beg rather than attend school. Besides, there is an increased number of early marriages. The fact that street children are engaged in prostitution raises serious concern.

The LGBTI community problems also remain unresolved. Sexual minorities face societal intolerance and violence in the country. Numerous incidents against LGBTI community representatives are ignored by the authorities, according to the Department of State.