The presidential elections were scheduled for next October, but surprisingly the head of state has called them on April 11. Why did president Aliyev take and sign this decision?
LGBT community members in Azerbaijan have been subjected to arbitrary arrests in the last weeks. The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Nils Muižnieks, has addressed the matter
They stopped them in the streets, at their workplace, in their apartments. Tens of members of the LGBT community were arrested in Azerbaijan. Their fault? The regime does not tolerate diversity
An encounter with an 34-year-old Azeri man with a mental disorder. His experience, his daily life and the difficulties met by people who, in the Caucasian country, suffer from mental illness
The already long list of arrests of those who are not aligned with the Baku government continues. The last one to pay was Mehan Aliyev, director of the Turan press agency
The Azerbaijani regime should harbor no illusions. It will never achieve a strategic partnership agreement with the EU like those obtained by the US, Canada, China, Japan, Brazil and others
President Ilham Aliyev has recently appointed his wife to the position of vice-president of the country, confirming that Azerbaijan is, slowly but steadily, turning from a democracy into a monarchy
Attempts to strengthen the regime in Azerbaijan: a forthcoming referendum aims to prolong the presidential term and to lower to 18 years the minimum age to be elected President
Things seem to be going well for Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia at the 2016 Summer Olympics – scheduled to start on 5 August, in Rio de Janeiro. At least when it comes to the overall numbers of participating athletes
Azerbaijan can hardly be considered a typical opera destination. But the country has a lot to offer opera lovers: performances of Western and Eastern European masterpieces, its own compositions, which are a unique mixture of musical traditions, and excellent singers
The economic crisis and the cold international attendance at the Baku European Games are some possible explanations for the partial change of diplomatic strategy of Azerbaijan
Azeri writer Akram Aylisli, banned from taking part to a Literary Festival in Italy, writes to President Ilham Aliyev presenting the meaning of his most recent work, Stone Dreams
A few days ago, the writer Akram Aylisli was due to participate in the Incontri di Civiltà literary festival in Venice. Azerbaijani authorities prevented him from attending. This is the speech he could not read
Azerbaijani writer Akram Aylisli was expected to take part to the “Incroci di civiltà” International literature festival today in Venice, but the Baku authorities blocked him at the airport. Our interview
In Azerbaijan and in the rest of Europe there was satisfaction for the amnesty that allowed 15 journalists, opposition politicians and human rights activists, to return to freedom. In the Caucasian country, however, there are still too many political prisoners
Protests in Nardaran, a majority conservative Shia village in the outskirts of Baku, indicate a growing discontent for the country's difficult social and economic conditions
With the lack of interest and competition, disbelief, and long tradition of manipulated election results it is unlikely November 1st elections in Azerbaijan will bring much change. More likely, they will only reconfirm the projections of results for these elections - one party rule on both presidential and parliamentary levels.
The trial of Khadija Ismayilova, the main investigative Azerbaijani journalists in prison since last December, began last July 24 and may close as early as this week
For expressing criticism against the Azerbaijan government and collaborating with Armenian newspapers and NGOs, our correspondent Arzu Geybullayeva has been repeatedly threatened and labeled as “traitor”
The European Games are not bringing to Azerbaijan the positive media coverage its authorities had expected, investing millions on the event. The best deal was Lady Gaga's
In June 2015, Baku will host the European Games. Human Rights watchdogs believe the international event will serve to whitewash the country’s deteriorating rights reputation
The right to freedom of expression and association was repeatedly violated in Azerbaijan in the course of 2014. Our timeline lists the main episodes of the ongoing clampdown directed against journalists, bloggers and the local civil society
The arrest on spurious charges of investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova is being met by a disturbing silence of the international community, and shows there are no more boundaries for the Aliyev regime