The first edition of the European Games – Europe’s ‘mini’ version of the Olympic Games – are over. The host country, Azerbaijan, spared no effort to place itself on the map as a sports-minded and hospitable country. However, in European Union countries, the games were mostly associated with human rights offences in Azerbaijan, with little attention being devoted to the sports event or the country’s actual beauty. All the while, the regime in Baku has been working hard to stifle any critical voice at home and deflect criticism from European partners.
Over the last decade, the Azerbaijani government has methodically strengthened its grip on power by getting rid of any significant political opposition and curtailing media freedom. More recently, the authorities have sought to further quiet down divergent voices by closing foreign-funded civil society organisations and think tanks, while imprisoning human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists.
The country has also been scaling back or disrupting cooperation with European multilateral bodies. The credibility of the Council of Europe suffered with Azerbaijan’s chairmanship in the second half of 2014 amidst increased repression within the country (previously, Azerbaijan had successfully manipulated Council resolutions on political prisoners). Earlier this month, the authorities gave the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) office in Baku (which also monitors democracy and human rights) one month’s notice to leave the country. Plus, Azerbaijan has drastically downscaled its participation in the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) framework in response to the EU’s and the European Parliament’s criticisms over human rights repression.
