On January 24, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) made a decision not to accept the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation, resulting in the expulsion of Azerbaijan from the Assembly for one year. The PACE plenary session voted in favor of a resolution calling for the rejection of the Azerbaijani delegation's credentials on substantive grounds.

During the discussions, PACE members highlighted concerns about the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, citing politically motivated arrests, persecution, restrictions on media freedom, including the detention of journalists from "Abzas Media", cases of torture and ill-treatment such as the "Tartar case", and non-compliance with European Court of Human Rights decisions. The resolution emphasized that despite being a member of the Council of Europe for more than 20 years, Azerbaijan has not fulfilled its important obligations to the organization.

Mogens Jensen, the Danish parliamentarian who authored the report, underscored the significance of the decision, saying, "It is unfortunate that Azerbaijan is not in the Assembly for a year, but it is important." He noted that Azerbaijan has been mentioned in at least 14 resolutions adopted in recent years as a country that violates the Assembly's core values, including democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The report highlighted the existence of 254 political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
The resolution received overwhelming support with 76 votes in favor, 10 against and 4 abstentions. Only two PACE members from Ukraine and Turkey voted against the resolution, suggesting that dialogue with Azerbaijani parliamentarians should continue to address these issues. The resolution concluded by stating that the Azerbaijani delegation could resume its activities in the Assembly after fulfilling the conditions set out in the Rules of Procedure.

Moreover, some Azerbaijani media agencies reported that in response to the decision of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) not to approve the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation, Azerbaijan is considering the procedure of withdrawal from the Council of Europe. In addition, official sources suggest that Baku may consider refusing to recognize the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights.

Azerbaijan delegation suspends its participation

On the same day, the Azerbaijani delegation, led by Samad Seyidov, declared in Strasbourg that the rejection of the Azerbaijani delegation's credentials was part of a biased campaign against the country following Azerbaijan's victory and restoration of its territorial integrity.
Samad Seyidov stated, "After Azerbaijan's historic victory and restoration of territorial integrity, we are facing a smear campaign organized to tarnish Azerbaijan and cast a shadow on the country's achievements in the direction of restoring justice denied to the people of Azerbaijan." The delegation expressed concern that PACE is being used as a platform to attack certain member states.
The statement noted, "Some partisan groups are abusing the basic principles of PACE for their narrow interests. Political corruption, discrimination, ethnic and religious hatred, double standards, arrogance and chauvinism have become a prevailing practice in PACE". Seyidov stressed that the delegation's initiative to protest PACE's authority is an attempt to interfere in Azerbaijan's ongoing election process and an example of undermining democratic institutions.
The delegation accused PACE of intolerable racism, Azerbaijanophobia and Islamophobia, and cited these as reasons for suspending cooperation and participation in the organization for an indefinite period. The statement warned that the consequences of the refusal to approve the delegation's powers would seriously undermine the authority and impartiality of the Council of Europe, and that its initiators would be held responsible.