`Dictators release political prisoners only when they face  consequences` - Jared Genser 

ArmInfo.. Azerbaijan, a country often criticized for its authoritarian governance and human rights abuses, is hosting the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference  (COP29) this year in its capital, Baku. While the event aims to  address global climate challenges, hosting it in a country with a  contentious track record has raised alarm among human rights  advocates, academics, and environmental activists. In a compelling  video obtained by The Armenian Report, human rights judges, lawyers,  and activists from around the globe are speaking out against  Azerbaijan's crimes against humanity and urging the international  community to secure the release of Armenian prisoners of war.

The Aliyev family has ruled Azerbaijan for nearly half a century,  with President Ilham Aliyev at the helm since 2003. Critics argue  that the choice to host COP29 in Azerbaijan risks overshadowing the  country's pressing human rights issues.

Luis Moreno Ocampo, former Prosecutor of the International Criminal  Court, expressed deep concerns about Azerbaijan's actions in  Nagorno-Karabakh, where over 120,000 Armenians were forcibly  displaced in what many observers describe as ethnic cleansing. Ocampo  pointed to reports of starvation and forced removals, likening the  events to historical genocides. "We are doing this meeting without  mentioning that crimes against humanity have occurred," he said,  calling for global action to address these atrocities.

"The U.S. State Department's 2023 Report explains that in Baku  prisons, people are tortured and killed, and the judges do nothing,  because the judges are not independent," said Luis Moreno Ocampo. 

Dele Olojede, an award-winning journalist, highlighted the influence  of Azerbaijan's oil wealth in global politics. He criticized how  money often eclipses values in international decision-making. "This  is an oil- rich country governed by one authoritarian president,"  Olojede remarked. He warned that prioritizing financial alliances  over human rights undermines efforts to build a just and equitable  world.

"At the very basic starting point of all human beings is the idea of  freedom, and any state that is not implementing these conventions and  these laws really does need to be properly sanctioned and their  leaders made into pariahs who are not welcome in respectable  company," said Dele Olojede.

Greta Thunberg, the renowned climate activist, also voiced her  disapproval, emphasizing that Azerbaijan's fossil fuel-dependent  economy and plans for expansion contradict the goals of COP29. "It is  unacceptable that a country committing ethnic cleansing and  repressing civil society gains legitimacy by hosting this event," she  stated.

Human rights violations in Azerbaijan have been extensively  documented. The U.S. State Department's 2023 report detailed torture  and deaths in Azerbaijani prisons, with no accountability due to a  lack of judicial independence. Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of the  UK House of Lords, called for the release of Armenian captives held  in Azerbaijan, describing their detention as illegal and inhumane.

"I would hope that the international community might exert a little  bit more pressure on Azerbaijan to free those people it is holding  captive illegally and causing, obviously, a great deal of suffering,"  said Baroness Caroline Cox.

Azerbaijani journalist Mahammad Mirzali criticized European leaders  for maintaining ties with Azerbaijan, accusing them of prioritizing  energy interests over human rights. He pointed out that Azerbaijani  authorities not only detain political prisoners but also target  dissidents abroad, including attempts on his own life in France. "For  the sake of gas, they are putting human rights on the back burner,"  Mirzali said.

"I'm shameful that European politicians continue to align with  Azerbaijan and call it a reliable partner.  Madame Ursula von der  Leyan shook hands with Ilham Aliyev. This gesture is disgraceful.  Especially from Europe, a place with many politicians that claim to  uphold human rights. For the sake of gas, they are putting human  rights on the back burner. Many European leaders, including Charles  Michel, continue to congratulate and shake hands with Ilham Aliyev.  Congratulations for what? For imprisoning more than 300 Azerbaijani  political prisoners? For detaining  numerous Armenian hostages? For  holding French citizens in jail? This is the kind of violence that is  committed on Azerbaijani prisoners, foreigners in Azerbaijan, and  even myself. I have survived 3 murder attempts on French soil,  commanded by Azerbaijan," said Azerbaijani journalist Mahammad  Mirzali.  

Advocates like Jared Genser and Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro stressed the  importance of collective global action.  Genser emphasized the need  to address ethnic cleansing and political imprisonment through  sustained international pressure. "Dictators release political  prisoners only when they face consequences," he noted.

Kanyoro highlighted the lack of global awareness about atrocities  such as the Armenian Genocide and called for a unified voice to  ensure justice for all victims of human rights abuses.

For many, the decision to hold COP29 in Azerbaijan is seen as a form  of "rights-washing," legitimizing the government's actions while  diverting attention from its record. Dr. Georgi M. Derluguian  described the regime's treatment of detainees as political  manipulation, likening it to "political pornography" meant to  humiliate and exert power over opponents.

Despite these challenges, COP29 presents an opportunity for civil  society to spotlight Azerbaijan's human rights issues on a global  stage. Ocampo suggested using the conference as a platform to demand  accountability, while Thunberg urged attendees to challenge the  country's leadership on its environmental and ethical shortcomings.

As the world gathers in Baku for COP29, the dual crises of climate  change and human rights abuses converge in a complex narrative. Will  the international community rise to the challenge of addressing both  issues, or will the event become a missed opportunity to uphold the  principles it seeks to promote? There are three days left until the  conference ends.