As world leaders gather in Baku for the Cop29 climate summit, a dark cloud hangs over the event’s host nation, Azerbaijan. The oil-rich Caspian state has drawn sharp criticism for its abysmal human rights record, even as it seeks to burnish its international image through high-profile events like Cop29.
Azerbaijan’s Fossil Fuel Dependence and Expansionist Ambitions
Azerbaijan’s economy is heavily reliant on fossil fuel exports, with the state-owned oil company Socar accounting for nearly 90% of the country’s export earnings. Despite paying lip service to climate action, the regime of President Ilham Aliyev has shown little interest in transitioning away from hydrocarbons. Instead, it plans to expand oil and gas production in the coming years – a stance wholly incompatible with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan stands accused of grave human rights abuses and military aggression against neighboring Armenia. During the 2020 war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijani forces committed what many observers have termed ethnic cleansing, forcing tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians to flee their homes. Despite a Russian-brokered ceasefire, tensions remain high, with periodic skirmishes and a looming humanitarian crisis.
Political Prisoners and Suppression of Dissent
At home, the Aliyev regime presides over a deeply repressive system intolerant of political pluralism or dissent. Human rights groups have documented dozens of cases of activists, journalists, and opposition figures jailed on trumped-up charges. Among the most prominent prisoners of conscience is Gubad Ibadoghlu, a vocal critic of the fossil fuel industry who was arrested last year after condemning Azerbaijan’s hosting of Cop29.
“It’s a truly Orwellian spectacle to see one of Eurasia’s most repressive governments hosting a summit dedicated to climate justice and sustainable development. The regime’s spin doctors are working overtime to greenwash Azerbaijan’s image, but they can’t hide the ugly reality of political prisoners, ethnic cleansing, and hydrocarbon dependence.”
– A prominent Azerbaijani human rights activist, speaking on condition of anonymity
Ties to Israel and Complicity in Regional Conflicts
Azerbaijan’s close military and economic ties with Israel have also raised concerns. The country supplies around 40% of Israel’s oil imports, effectively bankrolling the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories. In turn, Israel has emerged as a key supplier of high-tech weapons to Azerbaijan, including the drones used to deadly effect in the Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Critics argue that by propping up Azerbaijan’s petro-dictatorship, Western governments are not only undermining their stated commitments to human rights and democracy but also perpetuating regional conflicts and injustice. The EU, in particular, has come under fire for its plans to double imports of Azerbaijani gas by 2027, as it seeks to reduce dependence on Russian energy in the wake of the Ukraine war.
Activists Call for Sanctions and Prisoner Releases
As Cop29 gets underway, climate justice advocates are calling for a fundamental rethink of international engagement with Azerbaijan. They argue that the country’s fossil fuel wealth and strategic location should not give it a free pass on human rights and aggression.
Specifically, activists are demanding:
- Targeted sanctions against the Aliyev regime and Azerbaijani oil and gas exports
- The immediate release of all Azerbaijani political prisoners and Armenian hostages
- A withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from occupied Armenian territories and a negotiated peace agreement for Nagorno-Karabakh
- An end to Azerbaijan’s military ties with Israel and complicity in the oppression of Palestinians
- A meaningful commitment from the Azerbaijani government to human rights, democracy, and a just transition away from fossil fuels
It remains to be seen whether these calls will be heeded, or whether Cop29 will prove to be yet another forum for authoritarian greenwashing. But one thing is clear: for the climate justice movement, silence is not an option when it comes to Azerbaijan’s dismal human rights record. As Swedish activist Greta Thunberg put it:
“You cannot claim to care about climate justice if you ignore the sufferings of oppressed and colonized people today. We cannot pick and choose whose human rights to care for, and who to leave behind. Climate justice means justice, safety and freedom for everyone.”
In the end, the credibility of the global climate movement will depend on its willingness to confront uncomfortable truths and demand accountability from all actors – even those who claim to be on the right side of history. For now, the struggle continues, in Azerbaijan and beyond.
