The Centre for Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies (EMDS) has prepared a report on violations of civil, political and social rights in Azerbaijan based on information collected from alternative and open sources.

The document says that the problems registered in the field of human rights protection in Azerbaijan in previous years were observed in 2021, and it was determined that these cases are systemic.

During the year, EMDS registered 676 violations based on 580 cases. Among these violations were abuses of the right to social security, the right to a fair trial, freedom of assembly, the right to medical care, freedom of expression, and an adequate standard of living. In general, out of 676 registered violations, 310 cases fell into the category of civil and political rights, and 366 cases into the category of socio-economic rights.

Independent media and freedom of expression have been under pressure throughout the year. Independent media outlets and professional journalists have faced harassment of their websites and confiscation of social media accounts due to their professional activities. The new Media Law, adopted at the end of 2021, was seen as an attempt to restrict the activities of independent media outlets and journalists.

EMDS determined the systemic nature of the violations in the following areas and came to the relevant conclusions at the end of the year:

• During the coronavirus pandemic, social security of low-income families became more difficult, and the availability of social benefits allocated to such families from the state budget was accompanied by bureaucratic obstacles.
• According to opposition views on social media, the detention, pressure, and threats of political and public activists were accompanied by gross violations of freedom of expression and the right to association. At the end of the year, the law "On Media" was adopted in a hurry. The government did not submit the bill to the Council of Europe to study the opinion of the Venice Commission and did not consider the opinion of local experts.
  • Politically motivated persecution and pressure continued during the year. All social and political rallies were broken up by police, which repeatedly violated freedom of assembly.
  • The right to a fair trial was not ensured during the investigation and trial of politically motivated administrative and criminal cases, and the results of the investigative bodies in court decisions on such cases were generally accepted without hesitation.
  • Although there were numerous reports of torture and ill-treatment in police stations, temporary detention facilities, and prisons during the year, the relevant government agencies generally denied these allegations.
  • The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) failed to reform the judicial system and national legislation based on the work and recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the decisions of the ECHR on applicants from Azerbaijan.
  • Restrictions on freedom of movement and assembly in the country during the coronavirus pandemic have in some cases been accompanied by abuse of public activists, resulting in their administrative detention instead of light fines.
  • Although about 42 political prisoners were released in 2021, according to a resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on January 30, 2020, and reports by local human rights organisations, there are currently more than 100 political prisoners in the country's prisons.

In turn, the Azerbaijani government states that fundamental rights, including freedom of the media, the right to assembly and association, are fully guaranteed in the country. Baku says there are no political prisoners and does not accept allegations that people are being persecuted for their political stances.