Baku (AFP) – Azerbaijani rights defender and climate advocate Anar Mammadli was picking up his son from kindergarten when police arrested him in front of the children.
AZERBAIJAN IS A CLIENT STATE OF TURKEY
Issued on: 17/09/2024 -
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, left, and his family have a strong hold on the country © Handout / Press Srvice of the President of Azerbaijan/AFP
His arrest was one of the latest in a series which critics say undermines the oil-rich nation's credibility as a host of the United Nations COP29 climate change conference in November.
Mammadli has been locked up since April 29 and risks up to eight years behind bars on smuggling charges human rights groups say are "bogus".
He and activist Bashir Suleymanli had formed a civil society group called Climate of Justice Initiative.
The organisation set out to promote environmental justice in the tightly controlled Caspian nation.
Suleymanli told AFP that the group "was forced to close under government pressure even before it began raising awareness of environmental issues".
His arrest was one of the latest in a series which critics say undermines the oil-rich nation's credibility as a host of the United Nations COP29 climate change conference in November.
Mammadli has been locked up since April 29 and risks up to eight years behind bars on smuggling charges human rights groups say are "bogus".
He and activist Bashir Suleymanli had formed a civil society group called Climate of Justice Initiative.
The organisation set out to promote environmental justice in the tightly controlled Caspian nation.
Suleymanli told AFP that the group "was forced to close under government pressure even before it began raising awareness of environmental issues".
Climate activist Bashir Suleymanli, whose colleague has been behind bars since April © VANO SHLAMOV / AFP
"We have no platform through which we could be heard -- not to mention the fact that we will not be able to stage protests during COP29," he said.
International rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have denounced Mammadli's prosecution on "bogus" charges and demanded his release.
Amnesty said it was part of a "continuing crackdown on civil society activists" ahead of COP29.
'Harsh measures'
In the streets of Baku, roads are being repaired and buildings getting fresh coats of paint as authorities add lustre to the capital in preparation for hosting thousands of foreign guests during COP29, which runs from November 11 to 22.
International rights groups have urged the UN and Council of Europe rights watchdog to "use the momentum of COP29" to "put an end to the persecution of critical voices" in Azerbaijan.
"We have no platform through which we could be heard -- not to mention the fact that we will not be able to stage protests during COP29," he said.
International rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have denounced Mammadli's prosecution on "bogus" charges and demanded his release.
Amnesty said it was part of a "continuing crackdown on civil society activists" ahead of COP29.
'Harsh measures'
In the streets of Baku, roads are being repaired and buildings getting fresh coats of paint as authorities add lustre to the capital in preparation for hosting thousands of foreign guests during COP29, which runs from November 11 to 22.
International rights groups have urged the UN and Council of Europe rights watchdog to "use the momentum of COP29" to "put an end to the persecution of critical voices" in Azerbaijan.
Threatened by police: eco activist Kenan Khalilzade © VANO SHLAMOV / AFP
But rather than an easing of repression, Kenan Khalilzade of the Baku-based Ecofront ecological group said the run-up to COP29 has seen more government pressure on activists.
He said he was briefly detained last year during an anti-pollution protest in the remote village of Soyudlu in the country's western Gadabay region.
In 2023, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at villagers protesting the construction of a pond intended to drain toxic waste from a nearby gold mine.
Locals argued that the pond would cause serious environmental damage to their pastures.
Several villagers were arrested after the violent police crackdown and Soyudlu remained under lockdown for weeks.
"Police threatened me with harsh measures if I ever tried to return to Soyudlu," Khalilzade told AFP.
An investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global network of investigative journalists, found the mine -- formally operated by British company Anglo Asian Mining Plc -- is in fact owned by Aliyev's two daughters.
But rather than an easing of repression, Kenan Khalilzade of the Baku-based Ecofront ecological group said the run-up to COP29 has seen more government pressure on activists.
He said he was briefly detained last year during an anti-pollution protest in the remote village of Soyudlu in the country's western Gadabay region.
In 2023, police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at villagers protesting the construction of a pond intended to drain toxic waste from a nearby gold mine.
Locals argued that the pond would cause serious environmental damage to their pastures.
Several villagers were arrested after the violent police crackdown and Soyudlu remained under lockdown for weeks.
"Police threatened me with harsh measures if I ever tried to return to Soyudlu," Khalilzade told AFP.
An investigation by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global network of investigative journalists, found the mine -- formally operated by British company Anglo Asian Mining Plc -- is in fact owned by Aliyev's two daughters.
'Biased and unacceptable'
Brooks no dissent: President Ilham Aliyev (L) © Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP
Any sign of dissent in Azerbaijan is usually met with a tough response from Aliyev's government, which has faced strong Western criticism for persecuting political opponents and suffocating independent media.
The 62-year-old has ruled the country with an iron fist since 2003, after the death of his father, Azerbaijan's Soviet-era Communist leader and former KGB general Heydar Aliyev.
The Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan has published a list of 288 political prisoners, including opposition politicians, rights activists, and journalists.
Among them are several journalists from AbzasMedia and Toplum TV, media outlets critical of Aliyev, and prominent anti-corruption advocate Gubad Ibadoglu who remains in custody despite poor health.
In May, Human Rights Watch said the crackdown in Azerbaijan "raises grave concerns" about how activists "will be able to participate meaningfully and push for ambitious action at COP29".
Azerbaijan's foreign ministry has rejected the accusations as "biased and unacceptable".
"Conditioning Azerbaijan's presidency of COP29 with inappropriate political motivation contradicts the very essence of the idea of cooperation addressing climate change that Azerbaijan has undertaken," it said in May.
Any sign of dissent in Azerbaijan is usually met with a tough response from Aliyev's government, which has faced strong Western criticism for persecuting political opponents and suffocating independent media.
The 62-year-old has ruled the country with an iron fist since 2003, after the death of his father, Azerbaijan's Soviet-era Communist leader and former KGB general Heydar Aliyev.
The Union for Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan has published a list of 288 political prisoners, including opposition politicians, rights activists, and journalists.
Among them are several journalists from AbzasMedia and Toplum TV, media outlets critical of Aliyev, and prominent anti-corruption advocate Gubad Ibadoglu who remains in custody despite poor health.
In May, Human Rights Watch said the crackdown in Azerbaijan "raises grave concerns" about how activists "will be able to participate meaningfully and push for ambitious action at COP29".
Azerbaijan's foreign ministry has rejected the accusations as "biased and unacceptable".
"Conditioning Azerbaijan's presidency of COP29 with inappropriate political motivation contradicts the very essence of the idea of cooperation addressing climate change that Azerbaijan has undertaken," it said in May.
Despite its modern exterior, Azerbaijan is tightly controlled
© VANO SHLAMOV / AFP
But Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist who has spent months in jail after revealing official corruption, said COP29 delegations should be mindful of Azerbaijan's human rights record.
"Countries that take part in COP29 must be aware that civil society is crushed and downtrodden in Azerbaijan," she said.
© 2024 AFP
Azerbaijan says 'God-given' oil and gas will help it go green
Baku (AFP) – Flames soar into the air from a sandstone outcrop on a hillside of the Absheron peninsula near Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, as it prepares to host the COP29 climate conference.
Issued on: 17/09/2024 -
'Born of oil boom'
Green agenda
Azerbaijan's ambitious plans to expand energy production mean the country would emit 781 million tonnes of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas a year -- more than twice the annual emissions of the UK, London-based Global Witness environmentalist group said in January.
The prospect has prompted criticism from environmentalists ahead of the COP29.
"COP hosts have a responsibility to deliver progress and the answer is not found at the bottom of an oil well or a gas pipeline, but through ambitious climate finance and action," said Jasper Inventor, Greenpeace International's head of delegation for COP29.
Azerbaijani officials said the country is making significant strides in setting its own green agenda.
The country aims to increase its renewable energy capacity to 30 percent by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2050.
Shikhaliyev listed "clean energy mega projects" such as transforming the newly-recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh region into a "green energy zone" fully reliant on solar, wind and hydro power.
© 2024 AFP
Baku (AFP) – Flames soar into the air from a sandstone outcrop on a hillside of the Absheron peninsula near Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, as it prepares to host the COP29 climate conference.
Issued on: 17/09/2024 -
Petrodollar paradise: The Azerbaijani capital Baku © VANO SHLAMOV / AFP
The "burning mountain" -- Yanardag in Azerbaijani -- is fed by underground gas rising to the surface and ignited upon contact with oxygen.
The abundance of naturally occurring fires from the energy-rich nation's huge gas deposits has earned it the nickname "The Land of Fire".
Azerbaijan's vast oil and gas resources "have shaped the history, culture, politics, and the economy" of the Caspian nation, said energy expert Kamalya Mustafayeva.
Azerbaijan's oil deposits -- 7 billion barrels of proven reserves -- were discovered in the mid-19th century, making what was then part of the Russian Empire one of the first places in the world to start commercial oil production.
"The world's first industrial onshore oil well was drilled in Azerbaijan, and also the first offshore one," Ashraf Shikhaliyev, the director of energy ministry's international cooperation department, told AFP.
The "burning mountain" -- Yanardag in Azerbaijani -- is fed by underground gas rising to the surface and ignited upon contact with oxygen.
The abundance of naturally occurring fires from the energy-rich nation's huge gas deposits has earned it the nickname "The Land of Fire".
Azerbaijan's vast oil and gas resources "have shaped the history, culture, politics, and the economy" of the Caspian nation, said energy expert Kamalya Mustafayeva.
Azerbaijan's oil deposits -- 7 billion barrels of proven reserves -- were discovered in the mid-19th century, making what was then part of the Russian Empire one of the first places in the world to start commercial oil production.
"The world's first industrial onshore oil well was drilled in Azerbaijan, and also the first offshore one," Ashraf Shikhaliyev, the director of energy ministry's international cooperation department, told AFP.
'Born of oil boom'
Gas flames blaze from the ground in Yanardag near Baku © VANO SHLAMOV / AFP
Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan has produced 1.05 billion tonnes of oil and is set to increase its natural gas production from 37 billion cubic metres (bcm) this year to 49 bcm over the next decade, according to official figures.
Revenues from oil and gas production make up about 35 percent of the country's GDP and nearly half of the state budget.
"Azerbaijan's oil revenues -- up to $200 billion to date since 1991 -- gave the country an opportunity to make a huge leap forward," said Sabit Bagirov, who headed the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan in the 1990s.
"Baku, once a small fishermen's hamlet of some 4,000 people, was born of an oil boom," which led to a massive population growth -- at a faster rate from the 1890s than London, Paris, or New York -- said energy expert Ilham Shaban.
Modern Baku is a bustling metropolis dotted with skyscrapers, seaside promenades, and futuristic buildings designed by world-renowned architects.
The Azerbaijani capital has become a venue for major international events, such as the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, matches in the Euro 2020 football championship, and the Formula 1 motor racing Grand Prix.
The manna of petrodollars helped Azerbaijan to arm itself against arch-foe Armenia, and last year Baku recaptured its breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian separatists who had controlled it for decades.
'Europe's energy security'
Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan has produced 1.05 billion tonnes of oil and is set to increase its natural gas production from 37 billion cubic metres (bcm) this year to 49 bcm over the next decade, according to official figures.
Revenues from oil and gas production make up about 35 percent of the country's GDP and nearly half of the state budget.
"Azerbaijan's oil revenues -- up to $200 billion to date since 1991 -- gave the country an opportunity to make a huge leap forward," said Sabit Bagirov, who headed the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan in the 1990s.
"Baku, once a small fishermen's hamlet of some 4,000 people, was born of an oil boom," which led to a massive population growth -- at a faster rate from the 1890s than London, Paris, or New York -- said energy expert Ilham Shaban.
Modern Baku is a bustling metropolis dotted with skyscrapers, seaside promenades, and futuristic buildings designed by world-renowned architects.
The Azerbaijani capital has become a venue for major international events, such as the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, matches in the Euro 2020 football championship, and the Formula 1 motor racing Grand Prix.
The manna of petrodollars helped Azerbaijan to arm itself against arch-foe Armenia, and last year Baku recaptured its breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian separatists who had controlled it for decades.
'Europe's energy security'
An oil well in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku
© VANO SHLAMOV / AFP
About 75 percent of Azerbaijan's energy exports go to European markets.
In 2022, the European Commission -- keen to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas -- signed a deal with Baku to double gas imports from the country.
While Azerbaijan's share of gas supplies to Europe might only reach five percent by 2033, the country can meet all the gas needs of Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Albania, and the south of Italy, said Bagirov.
"Azerbaijan has become an important factor in ensuring Europe's energy security," said expert Mustafayeva.
But fossil fuel reserves, which President Ilham Aliyev has called "a gift of God", are expected to be exhausted within several decades.
"Azerbaijan's oil wells will run dry within 20 years, natural gas reserves will last for 50 years," Bagirov said.
"Economic dependence on hydrocarbons is a concern for the Azerbaijani government, which is making serious efforts to develop other economic sectors," including technology, agriculture, and tourism, he said.
Expert Shaban said "Azerbaijan's goal is to get the maximum money from its hydrocarbon resources before Europe reaches its decarbonisation objective," which will lead to a significant drop in the continent's demand for fossil fuels.
About 75 percent of Azerbaijan's energy exports go to European markets.
In 2022, the European Commission -- keen to reduce Europe's dependence on Russian gas -- signed a deal with Baku to double gas imports from the country.
While Azerbaijan's share of gas supplies to Europe might only reach five percent by 2033, the country can meet all the gas needs of Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Albania, and the south of Italy, said Bagirov.
"Azerbaijan has become an important factor in ensuring Europe's energy security," said expert Mustafayeva.
But fossil fuel reserves, which President Ilham Aliyev has called "a gift of God", are expected to be exhausted within several decades.
"Azerbaijan's oil wells will run dry within 20 years, natural gas reserves will last for 50 years," Bagirov said.
"Economic dependence on hydrocarbons is a concern for the Azerbaijani government, which is making serious efforts to develop other economic sectors," including technology, agriculture, and tourism, he said.
Expert Shaban said "Azerbaijan's goal is to get the maximum money from its hydrocarbon resources before Europe reaches its decarbonisation objective," which will lead to a significant drop in the continent's demand for fossil fuels.
Green agenda
The Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Baku designed by the late star architect Zaha Hadid © VANO SHLAMOV / AFP
Azerbaijan's ambitious plans to expand energy production mean the country would emit 781 million tonnes of carbon dioxide greenhouse gas a year -- more than twice the annual emissions of the UK, London-based Global Witness environmentalist group said in January.
The prospect has prompted criticism from environmentalists ahead of the COP29.
"COP hosts have a responsibility to deliver progress and the answer is not found at the bottom of an oil well or a gas pipeline, but through ambitious climate finance and action," said Jasper Inventor, Greenpeace International's head of delegation for COP29.
Azerbaijani officials said the country is making significant strides in setting its own green agenda.
The country aims to increase its renewable energy capacity to 30 percent by 2030 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2050.
Shikhaliyev listed "clean energy mega projects" such as transforming the newly-recaptured Nagorno-Karabakh region into a "green energy zone" fully reliant on solar, wind and hydro power.
© 2024 AFP
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