kitchen talk: Press freedom under pressure in Azerbaijan

Background and context

Due to its strategic location on the Caspian Sea and significant oil and gas reserves, which play a crucial role in the EU's strategy to diversify its energy sources away from dependence on Russian gas, Azerbaijan emerges as a player in the global scramble for power and resources. In the past year, Baku received international attention as the host of COP29, with activists pointing out the hypocrisy of hosting a climate summit in an economy heavily reliant on oil and gas exports, as well as the country’s alarming record of human rights abuses.

The crackdown on independent media and journalists, many of whom have been forced to relocate and operate from exile, while their colleagues inside the country face travel bans, has reached a new low in the past year. In early December, six journalists from Meydan TV, an independent media outlet, were detained. This follows the extended pre-trial detention of six journalists from the investigative news portal Abzas Media, amid allegations of physical abuse and torture. These arrests mark the latest in a decade-long crackdown on independent media, with escalating censorship, fabricated charges, and tightening government control.

How have the government's strategies of silencing dissent developed over the years? What are the challenges faced by journalists in the country and what obstacles encounter those in exile? And what strategies of resilience can independent media learn from their experiences amid rising authoritarianism worldwide?