On December 11, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern over increasing pressure on civil society and media in Azerbaijan, calling for the release of detained human rights activists and journalists. 

According to the statement, the US urged the Azerbaijani government to release Rufat Safarov, Sevinj Vagifqizi, Azer Gasimli, Farid Mehralizadeh, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, Gubad Ibadoglu, and journalists from the independent media outlet MeydanTV.

Rufat Safarov and Sevinj Vagifqizi were set to be honored in Washington for their human rights activities. Safarov was awarded the Human Rights Defender Award in absentia, while Vagifqizi received the Secretary of State's "Anti-Corruption Champion" award. "We call on the Azerbaijani government to release those unjustly detained for their human rights activities, to stop the pressure on civil society, to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, and to fulfill the commitments it made when it became a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe," the statement read.

Moreover, Daphne Rand, the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, emphasized US concerns in an interview with Turan. She stated that the absence of Safarov and Vagifqizi at the International Human Rights Day event in Washington sent a clear message. "The message is that the authorities intend to continue this trend. They do not want the United States and others to support human rights defenders and members of civil society," Rand said.

When asked whether Washington had exhausted its means to influence the situation, Rand responded, "No. We will continue to redouble our efforts to use diplomacy - private diplomacy and public diplomacy, and today's action is the same. We will continue to use some punitive tools, including visa sanctions and a number of others. Most importantly, we will continue to support civil society representatives, this is our best tool."

In response, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) criticized Blinken's statement, calling it biased and an attempt to interfere in Azerbaijan's judicial process. The MFA accused the US Department of State, under Blinken's leadership, of interfering in Azerbaijan's internal affairs over the past four years, describing this period as "lost years" for Azerbaijan-US relations, which had previously been characterized by friendship and cooperation. The MFA expressed hope for a revival of mutual friendship and partnership between Azerbaijan and the US under the new US administration.