Azerbaijan – European Court of Human Rights: Freedom of Opinion and Racial Discrimination (2018)

Case: Emin Huseynov v. Azerbaijan (Application no. 1/16), European Court of Human Rights

This case was filed by Emin Huseynov, a journalist and human rights advocate, challenging Azerbaijan’s actions that allegedly violated his rights under the European Convention on Human Rights. Huseynov’s case stems from being stripped of his citizenship under duress after seeking refuge in the Swiss Embassy to avoid arrest during a crackdown on dissent in 2014, leaving him stateless. 

The UN Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Expression and Racism submitted an amicus brief highlighting Azerbaijan’s broader pattern of repressing critics through arbitrary arrests, fabricated charges, and citizenship revocation. The brief argues that these actions violate international human rights standards, including protections for freedom of expression and prohibitions against arbitrary deprivation of nationality. It also emphasizes the broader implications of these practices, including their chilling effect on press freedom and the vulnerability of stateless individuals to discrimination and exclusion. The intervention urges the Court to recognize the far-reaching human rights implications of Azerbaijan’s practices, particularly their impact on stateless individuals, who face heightened vulnerability to discrimination, exploitation, and exclusion.