Jodie Ginsberg
President
Committee to Protect Journalists
330 7th Ave, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Dear Ms. Ginsberg,
I am writing to express alarm regarding the Azerbaijani government’s crackdown on media and civil society as the country prepares to host COP29, the UN Climate Change Summit, in Baku later this year, and to ask that CPJ speak for those of us who will be denied entry.
I call on you on behalf of CivilNet, an Armenia-based news platform in English, Russian, and Armenian. CivilNet is a rare sort of independent, youth-driven, democratic media outlet in the former Soviet space, committed to journalism that serves to strengthen democracy and foster equality.
For us, the problem is a very practical one: Armenian journalists (indeed – Armenian members of any political or economic delegations) are barred from entering Azerbaijan. Yet, Azerbaijan’s degradation of the region’s environment affects us directly nonetheless. [This local problem is a reflection of the world’s bigger one, and of the broader illogic of allowing Baku to host the conference – but that ship has sailed.]
Human Rights Watch found that over the past year, at least 25 journalists and activists have been arrested or sentenced in Azerbaijan, with most still in custody under trumped-up and illegitimate charges, all with the intention of silencing critical voices ahead of a moment of potential international scrutiny while hosting a major global event. New names are added to these lists of detainees all the time, including most recently, young academics and peace activists. A senior economist remains under house arrest, after nearly a year of incarceration, simply for questioning the country’s economic trajectory, and the rulers’ corruption.
In addition to this ongoing domestic crackdown and excluding journalists from neighboring Armenia, Western journalists, too, are on unstable ground. They were recently denied entry to an energy conference in Baku, raising serious concerns about Azerbaijan’s intentions to suppress independent reporting by outsiders during COP29 itself.
The hosting of COP29 should not be used as a means to legitimize authoritarian practices or to silence those who speak out. Instead, this event should be an opportunity to highlight the urgent need for climate justice and environmental justice, everywhere, but especially in our region, where Aliyev continues to double down on fossil fuels to accumulate power and wealth.
His wholesale exercise of power against the powerless results in long-term damage to society, and to the environment – the same environment the whole region depends on. When Azerbaijan ethnically cleansed Karabakh of its Armenian population, all 120,000, it immediately granted mining licenses to companies affiliated with the ruling family. Deforestation is taking place there now at enormous speed. A series of dams are being built where two of the region’s rivers meet, with certain repercussions for Armenia’s water supply. This unchecked exploitation of the region’s natural resources, without transparency and accountability, poses a significant threat to all.
In Azerbaijan, there is no room for journalists to focus a spotlight on the very serious human rights and environmental abuse and corruption, and no way to hold power to account. [Karabakh’s political leadership remain political prisoners.] Our own journalists will be denied secure entry to Baku. Therefore, we urge the Committee to Protect Journalists to use its leverage now, during this pre-COP period, and:
- Demand the immediate release of all journalists – currently detained in Azerbaijan.
- Advocate for unrestricted access for foreign journalists during the COP29 summit.
- Encourage foreign journalists to provide greater scrutiny of Azerbaijan’s role in the global climate dialogue, particularly given its continued leveraging of fossil fuels, indiscriminate deforestation and its repressive governance.
It is imperative that the international community, including CPJ, holds Azerbaijan accountable for its treatment of journalists. The world must not ignore these abuses, and CPJ’s advocacy is essential in pushing for the protection of journalists, during COP, and beyond, when the world might otherwise become blind to Baku’s repression.
I look forward to your response and hope that CPJ will, on this matter as well, continue to serve as a beacon for democratic values and a free press.
With gratitude for your work,
Salpi Ghazarian
Co-Founder, Founding Director
CivilNet.am
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