Azerbaijan has joined the Makkah Convention on Cooperation among Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Combating Corruption. The document was signed during the third meeting of law enforcement representatives from OIC member states, held in Baku on October 27–28, according to Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General, Kamran Aliyev.

"The Makkah Convention on Law Enforcement Cooperation among OIC Member States was adopted in 2022 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Azerbaijan played an active role in the preparation and adoption of this document," Aliyev noted.

The Prosecutor General stated that Azerbaijan had also participated in the two previous meetings within this framework. The document must now undergo a ratification process, after which its provisions are set to be incorporated into national legislation.

"As is known, Azerbaijan will hold the chairmanship of this OIC-affiliated framework in the coming years. I hope that during this period, our country will continue effective cooperation with all OIC member states across all areas, including the fight against corruption," the Prosecutor General emphasized.

Aliyev also pointed out that Azerbaijan has previously joined relevant UN conventions, as well as other international and regional agreements aimed at combating corruption.

"President Ilham Aliyev has demonstrated his political will regarding the fight against corruption. As you are aware, Azerbaijan has acceded to the relevant UN conventions, along with other regional and international agreements in this field. The Makkah Convention serves as a new platform for cooperation in this area." "I believe that our efforts in this area will also be successful," he concluded.

However, claims of a political will to combat corruption stand in stark contrast to the long-standing persecution in Azerbaijan of journalists and researchers who have sought to expose alleged corruption schemes, investigated the business interests of the ruling family, and demanded transparency in the use of state funds.

One of the most prominent examples is the case of journalist Khadija Ismayilova, who collaborated with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), an international initiative specializing in the investigation of organized crime and corruption. Between 2010 and 2012, she published a series of investigative reports on the alleged business interests of President Ilham Aliyev’s family, including the ties of his relatives to telecommunications companies, gold mining, and the construction of the Crystal Hall concert complex in Baku.

Ismayilova was arrested on December 5, 2014. Initially accused of inciting a former colleague to attempt suicide, she later faced charges of illegal entrepreneurship, tax evasion, misappropriation of funds, and abuse of authority. The journalist denied all charges. On September 1, 2015, a court sentenced her to seven and a half years in prison. In May 2016, the Supreme Court granted her a conditional release. International human rights organizations linked the criminal prosecution to her journalistic work. In 2020, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that her rights had been violated in connection with her criminal prosecution and imprisonment.

A few years later, an entire investigative media outlet found itself in the crosshairs. In November 2023, Azerbaijani authorities began arresting staff members of Abzas Media, an outlet that had published reports on alleged corruption among high-ranking officials, the business dealings of individuals in the president’s inner circle, and government contracts. The outlet also investigated environmental issues related to gold mining.

Those arrested included the outlet’s director, Ulvi Hasanli; editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi; journalists Nargiz Absalamova and Elnara Gasimova; investigative journalist Hafiz Babali; and project coordinator Mahammad Kekalov. In the same case, economist and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Farid Mehralizade was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Initially, the detainees were charged with currency smuggling; later, additional charges related to financial crimes were brought against them. The defendants denied the allegations, asserting that they were being prosecuted for their professional work. In June 2025, a court sentenced seven journalists and media staff members to prison terms ranging from 7.5 to 9 years. In September of the same year, an appellate court upheld the sentences, and in April 2026, the Supreme Court rejected the cassation appeals. International human rights organizations view this case as part of a broader campaign against independent media.

The authorities targeted not only journalists but also researchers who focused on issues of public finance and corruption. In July 2023, Azerbaijani economist and opposition politician Gubad Ibadoghlu—who studied budget transparency, the management of state funds, and corruption—was detained. He had previously headed the Center for Economic Research, which was shut down by the Azerbaijani authorities in 2014.

In 2023, Ibadoghlu announced the creation of a fund to support education for Azerbaijani youth, intended to be financed through donations and assets confiscated abroad from members of corrupt elites. The economist was detained on July 23 and placed in custody the following day. The authorities accused him of crimes related to the production, acquisition, or distribution of counterfeit currency as part of an organized group. Ibadoghlu denied the charges.

While in detention, the economist’s health deteriorated. In April 2024, he was moved to house arrest, though the criminal prosecution against him continued. Human Rights Watch described the charges as groundless and pointed to the political nature of the case.

The crackdown on the independent press continued into 2026. In July, nine journalists and activists linked to Toplum TV and its partner organizations were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 12 to 15 years. As of October, 12 journalists remained on trial in connection with the Meydan TV case, and prosecutors requested a 12-year prison sentence for Imran Aliyev, the founder of Meclis.info. The authorities have brought financial charges against these individuals—accusations that the defendants themselves, as well as international human rights organizations, view as a tactic to suppress independent journalism.

In the 2026 Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, Azerbaijan ranked 171st out of 180 countries.

On June 24, 2026, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted Resolution 2663, titled "The silencing of critical voices in Azerbaijan." In the document, the Assembly called on the Azerbaijani authorities to cease the threats, intimidation, and criminal prosecution of individuals targeted for their journalistic work, investigations into corruption, human rights advocacy, or independent academic research, and to immediately release those currently held in detention.