![Link to: Azerbaijani government must end crackdown on free expression](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Azerbaijani government must end crackdown on free expression
IRFS urges the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the 14 journalists, human rights defenders and bloggers who are currently behind bars and to put an end to pressures on the opposition press and the “Ganun” publishing house.
![Link to: Election monitoring centre raided by police in Azerbaijan](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Election monitoring centre raided by police in Azerbaijan
The raid on the election watchdog NGO signals a serious escalation of the country’s human rights crisis. “It’s a clear message to the government’s critics: ‘Don’t get involved in any issues that question legitimacy of the presidential election”, IRFS CEO Emin Huseynov said.
![Link to: Internet freedom under increasing attack in Azerbaijan, report finds](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Internet freedom under increasing attack in Azerbaijan, report finds
A new report by the Expression Online Initiative, led by the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, cites restrictive laws and politically-motivated surveillance as factors that hinder Internet freedom in Azerbaijan.
![On 12 October, protesters in Baku called for President Ilham Aliyev to step down., AP Photo / Aziz Karimov](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/azerbaijan_postelection_15october2013_apimages.jpg)
Azeri police beat, detain journalists covering post-election opposition rally
At least three independent media outlets in Azerbaijan reported that members of their staff had been physically attacked by police during a sanctioned rally on 12 October 2013. In five cases, journalists were whisked away, and their equipment was seized and damaged.
![Link to: Azerbaijan’s presidential election marred by free expression violations](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Azerbaijan’s presidential election marred by free expression violations
As people of Azerbaijan voted this week in the presidential election, Internet content filtering, efforts to sabotage social media activism and interference with the work of journalists, were carried out in an apparent bid to suppress allegations of electoral fraud and criticism of the current regime.
![Police detain an opposition activist during an unsanctioned protest rally in Baku, Azerbaijan, 20 October 2012., AP Photo/Aziz Karimov](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/azerbaijan_womanandpolice_8oct2013_apimages.jpg)
Azeri presidential election lacks credibility in light of human rights abuses
Twenty-two human rights organisations and press freedom campaigners warn that Azerbaijan’s presidential election on 9 October may not be credible, as journalists and activists are routinely persecuted for criticising the government.
![Link to: Opposition journalists attacked by pro-government mob in Azerbaijan](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Opposition journalists attacked by pro-government mob in Azerbaijan
A group of journalists from independent and opposition media outlets was attacked by a pro-government mob on 4 October 2013, whilst covering a sanctioned opposition rally in Sabirabad region in central Azerbaijan.
![Link to: Minority rights activist gets 5-year jail sentence in Azerbaijan](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Minority rights activist gets 5-year jail sentence in Azerbaijan
Human rights observers believe that Hilal Mammadov is being punished for his journalism and activism for national minorities’ rights.
![Link to: Azeri government must fulfil commitments on human rights, group says](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Azeri government must fulfil commitments on human rights, group says
An IRFS report details Azerbaijan’s consistent failure to seriously address recommendations by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on measures needed to improve the human rights situation in the country.
![Link to: Azeri authorities raid newspaper, arrest opposition journalist ahead of elections](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Azeri authorities raid newspaper, arrest opposition journalist ahead of elections
The Institute for Reporters Freedom and Safety condemns the detention of journalist and human rights activist Parviz Hashimli and the raid on his newspaper office on 17 September, deeming it as pre-election pressure on the media and civil society.
![Link to: Azerbaijan’s main opposition daily sued over Facebook post](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Azerbaijan’s main opposition daily sued over Facebook post
A former investigator wants Azadliq newspaper to pay 50,000 AZN for publishing a Facebook post which discussed the former investigator’s career.
![An Internet cafe in Baku, Azerbaijan, Robert Thomson/Flickr](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/azerbaijan_internetcafe_30aug2013_flickr_free.jpg)
Internet cafes shut down in Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic
Internet cafes are being shut down in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan, possibly in an attempt to reduce online activism on the eve of elections. The record on human rights and political liberties in the autonomous republic has been dismal over the past years.
![A protester carries portraits of Edward Snowden during a demonstration against secret monitoring programmes and showing solidarity with whistleblowers Edward Snowden and others in Berlin on 27 July 2013, REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski](https://ifex.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/unitedstates_snowden_demo_reuters_july2013.jpg)
Over 150 groups urge President Obama to protect whistleblowers and journalists
Over 150 IFEX members and partners of ARTICLE 19 appealed to US President Obama to drop charges against whistleblower Edward Snowden, update the Whistleblower Protection Act and pass a media shield law.
![Link to: Presidential candidates threaten critics as Azerbaijani elections draw near](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Presidential candidates threaten critics as Azerbaijani elections draw near
Just three months before Azerbaijan’s presidential election, the major candidates have unleashed a war on their critics, in one instance calling them “traitors, betrayers and slave-minded people” and “provocateurs” who should be “hit in the mouth,” the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety says.
![Link to: Travel ban restricts Azeri journalist from receiving human rights prize](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
Travel ban restricts Azeri journalist from receiving human rights prize
A travel ban on a prominent Azerbaijani journalist imposed just before he planned to travel to receive a prestigious human rights prize must be lifted immediately, the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety said on 17 June 2013.
![Link to: President of Azerbaijan approves draconian amendments to criminal law](https://ifex.org/wp-content/themes/ifex/assets/images/placeholder.png)
President of Azerbaijan approves draconian amendments to criminal law
On 4 June 2013, President Aliyev signed a bill criminalize defamatory and offensive views expressed on the Internet. Online activists could now face up to three years in prison for posting critical views online.