In August 2014, an investigative journalist and activist at thing human rights activist Emin Huseynov feared for his freedom and life. – Then the repression began and most of my colleagues were arrested – says the 44-year-old today. He is a known critic of Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan. He is also the co-founder of the Institute for Freedom and Security of Reporters in his country, whose headquarters, for security reasons, are currently located in Switzerland.
In 2014, Hussein asked for protection at the Swiss embassy in Baku. Today he lives in exile. He cannot return to his homeland. However, according to the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch, there are several dozen other government critics and environmental activists living in Azerbaijan.
That's it in Bakuthe capital of this now autocratic former city republics Soviet Union located between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus, representatives of the international community will gather for a climate conference COP29which will start on November 11 this year. They will discuss the climate crisis and human rights and negotiate fair financing for global climate protection.
As host and negotiator, Azerbaijan is expected to work towards the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement: compliance with the 1.5 degree target, greater climate protection, transparency, financial support for developing countries and climate justice. At least that's what official documents sent to participating countries say.
Oil and gas? “Gift from God”
Traditionally, the host plays the role of mediator among the 196 countries participating in the climate conference. However, the president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has already made it clear what his priorities will be at the climate conference negotiating table. – The fact that we have oil and gas reserves is not our fault. It's a gift from God – Aliyev said during the April climate dialogue in Berlin in the presence of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
– I will defend the right of countries to invest in and promote fossil fuels to increase their prosperity and fight poverty – Aliyev continued. The electricity mix of the COP host consists of 93 percent. from fossil fuels. In an analysis conducted by Climate Action Tracker, a project of various non-governmental organizations, Azerbaijan receives the worst rating in terms of climate protection – on par with oil-producing countries: Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran. – There are huge investments in fossil fuels, and climate protection measures are minimal, says Niklas Höhne from the NGO NewClimate Institute in Cologne about Azerbaijan. The country has also not adopted a zero emissions target.
No sign of action to protect the climate
– Aliyev does not care about the climate – says Huseynov clearly. He is primarily interested in legitimizing his presidency. In 2003, he took over power in Azerbaijan from his father. He became president again this year after early elections that OECD observers criticized as irregular and undemocratic. – People are still pooreven though we earn billions from exporting oil and gas, adds Huseynow.
According to Climate Action Tracker, the potential for solar and wind energy and the production of green hydrogen for export is huge in Azerbaijan. However, despite some investments, it is little used. In its analysis, the organization assumes that Azerbaijan's greenhouse gas emissions will increase by 20 percent in the coming years.
COP host countries are selected in accordance with the regional rotation system of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The five regional groups – Latin America/Caribbean, Africa, Asia/Pacific, Eastern Europe, Western Europe and others – take turns to designate the host country. – Climate negotiations will only be successful if their leadership is strong and very credible – emphasizes Höhne. But Azerbaijan has so far done nothing to show that, when it comes to climate protection, the country is better than it actually is, says the expert. – This is not a good start – he adds.
Gas rush and influential oil managers
He will be the chairman of this year's climate conference – and therefore the head of negotiations Mukhtar BabaevMinister of Environment of Azerbaijan and former specialist in sustainable development at the state oil company SOCAR.
The fact that influential oil and gas industry executives chair climate conferences is nothing new. The 2023 conference in Dubai was chaired by Sultan Ahmad al-Jaber, director of the United Arab Emirates' state-owned oil and gas company ADNOC. French energy group TotalEnergys and ADNOC recently invested heavily in increasing gas production in Azerbaijan through the purchase of shares. Oil and gas constitute 90 percent of Azerbaijan's exports. Main recipient Is EU.
Azeris' business relations with Europe have strengthened since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine. The attack of Azerbaijani troops on Nagorno-Karabakh and the expulsion of over 100,000 people from there last year did not change this. Armenians, which the EU criticized.
Azerbaijan remains for Europe an important gas supplier, even if it is not one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world, such as Saudi Arabia, China, the USA or Russia.
In addition to the unfavorable background for difficulties in negotiations on emissions and financing of climate activities, the situation of critics of the government and environmentalists in Azerbaijan is disastrous. Environmental protests are brutally suppressed, and according to Human Rights Watch, activists are arrested under fictitious pretexts.
In April this year human rights and climate activist Anar Mammadli was detained by police outside a kindergarten and has been in prison since then. He co-founded the Climate Initiative, which supported civil rights and climate justice in Azerbaijan. According to the authorities, the reason for the arrest is the alleged smuggling of counterfeit money.
Environmentalists and journalists in danger
According to Human Rights Watch, repression against activists has intensified ahead of the climate conference. The same is true with brutality, as Huseynov emphasizes: – Some colleagues in prison are not only tortured in custody, but also killed – he says.
Already in 2018, the Council of Europe, to which Azerbaijan belongs, stated that torture and police violence in Azerbaijan are systemic and widespread. President Aliyev does not want the independent voices of experts and critics of the regime to be heard in foreign media, says Huseynov: – The government is trying to use the climate negotiations, which are so important for the planet, to alleviate the president's bad image.
In addition to environmental activists, independent news outlets are also targeted by state repression. According to Human Rights Watch, the offices of two television stations have recently been searched, employees arrested and websites of independent media blocked. In Reporters Without Borders' freedom of speech ranking, Azerbaijan ranks 164th out of 180 countries, behind Somalia and Russia.
Following criticism of human rights violations, Azerbaijan also imposed entry bans on four members of the German Bundestag. Hussenov calls on the heads of state to put pressure on Aliyev with the COP29 conference and make their visits to Azerbaijan conditional on the release of political prisoners.
He was released only due to political pressure from abroad. Before the European Games in 2015, the Swiss government demanded the release of Hussein as a condition for the arrival of its team. After months spent at the Swiss embassy in Baku, the activist was finally able to leave the country. Many others remain in Azerbaijani detention.
The article comes from the website Deutsche Welle.