Azerbaijan’s poor human rights record continued to deteriorate as the government intensified its crackdown on independent media, political opponents, and civil society, silencing dissent, and further entrenching a climate of fear, according to the Azerbaijan section of World Report 2026 by Human Rights Watch.

“Authorities also brought spurious criminal charges against exiled bloggers and journalists, convicting them in absentia, and continued to adopt and arbitrarily enforce laws paralyzing civil society. Torture and ill-treatment in custody persisted with impunity,” the report adds.

“In continued contempt for international scrutiny, Azerbaijan suspended operations or expelled United Nations-affiliated organizations, including the UN Development Program (UNDP), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Authorities also revoked accreditation for the remaining international media outlets,” the report notes.

“Despite its stated commitments, Azerbaijan has taken no meaningful steps to ensure the right to return in safety and dignity for ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023, or to restore their property rights,” states the Human Rights Watch report.