Since late 2023, Azerbaijan’s authoritarian regime, led by Ilham Aliyev, has intensified efforts to restrict freedom of expression and independent media in the country, as well as to limit any unwanted external influence. To further consolidate his power, Aliyev called snap presidential and parliamentary elections, in which he and his party secured a predictable “victory.” To provide a clearer picture of the escalation, we have created a timeline of key moments, which will be regularly updated as events unfold.
Following the full occupation of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in September 2023, Ilham Aliyev launched measures that both strengthened his hold on power and silenced any voices that could pose a threat to it, both internal and external. He began by initiating an even stronger witch hunt targeting the country’s opposition media, journalists, and independent experts and influencers.
These measures include imprisoning journalists, shutting down civil society groups, implementing travel bans on individuals and limiting international organizations. With watch dogs pushed out and the domestic press under siege, the country is cutting off the world’s access to what’s happening inside its borders and in the occupied territories of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
The policy has generally been characteristic of Aliyev’s rule, but we believe the recent developments are aimed at more than just silencing opposition voices, restricting civil liberties, and covering up socio-economic and other critical challenges the country is facing to keep the ruling power unshakable. Currently, this crackdown also serves to prevent the entry of any foreign journalists into occupied Artsakh. The independent journalists seem to be barred, as they pose a threat by potentially presenting the situation on the ground significantly different from the official state narrative.
Below is a general timeline of the events leading to isolation that began in late 2023 and continue to this day.
May 13, 2025
The Regional Chief of Communication for UNICEF in Europe and Central Asia announced that UNICEF’s operational presence in Azerbaijan will cease in the coming months.
May 6, 2025
UNHCR spokesperson confirmed that the Agency is officially concluding its operations in Azerbaijan.
May 5, 2025
UN Population Fund (UNFPA) made an announcement about concluding its Country Office operations in Azerbaijan, noting that its engagement with official Baku will continue through its Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
May 2, 2025
The representative office of the UN Development Program (UNDP) officially announced that it will cease its operations in Azerbaijan from the following day.
March 12, 2025
A representative of the British news agency Reuters confirmed to ‘Reporters Without Borders’ that “two freelance journalists working for Reuters no longer have accreditation in Azerbaijan due to a new government policy granting only one accreditation per foreign media outlet”.
March 5, 2025
The General Assembly of Transparency Azerbaijan — the Public Union Against Corruption and the national chapter of Transparency International — announced its decision to dissolve the organization.
March 4, 2025
The head of the “National Erasmus+” office in Baku announced that the largest educational program of the European Union “Erasmus+” is suspending its activities in Azerbaijan.
March 2, 2025
The pro-government outlet Caliber reported that the UN Development Program (UNDP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had been instructed to leave Azerbaijan. This was later confirmed by Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, who emphasized that Azerbaijan had “reconsidered its priorities in cooperation with the UN” based on “the realities of the new era.”
February 20, 2025
The BBC issued a statement announcing its “reluctant decision” to close its Baku office after receiving a verbal instruction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
February 2, 2025
The pro-government Report agency announced that the correspondent accreditation of Azerbaijani service of the Voice of America had been revoked. On February 27, 2025, the same was announced for Bloomberg’s correspondent accreditation in Azerbaijan.
February 13, 2025
The oppositional Turan Information Agency reported that it was ceasing operations due to financial issues. On the same day, it was announced that the number of journalists working for Sputnik-Azərbaycan would be reduced to one, as the Azerbaijani government decided to equalize the number of foreign media journalists with the number of Azerbaijani state media representatives in the corresponding countries. It was noted that the same policy would also apply to the BBC‘s Azerbaijani service.
February 12, 2025
The Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan released a new list of political prisoners. The updated list includes the names of 357 individuals, including 27 journalists and bloggers, 4 human rights defenders, 32 members of opposition parties and civil society, 4 activists from national minorities, and 2 anti-war activists.
February 9, 2025
Toplum TV announced in a statement that due to increasing pressure on media in Azerbaijan, it could no longer operate within the country and would continue its work through journalists based abroad.
February 4, 2025
The editor of the oppositional news website Arqument.az, was also arrested in connection with the “Meydan TV case”.
April 18, 2024
The founder of the independent non-profit media platform Meclis.info was detained at Baku’s Heydar Aliyev International Airport while attempting to travel to Istanbul. His arrest was reportedly linked to a broader investigation into independent media outlets, particularly Abzas Media.
March 6, 2024
Azerbaijani police raided the offices of the independent outlet Toplum TV, its partner organizations, and an opposition group, detaining around a dozen journalists and activists and sealing the premises. Several were later charged with “smuggling by prior conspiracy,” continuing a broader pattern of repression also seen against Abzas Media and Kanal 13. Following the raid, Toplum TV’s office was sealed, and its digital platforms were hacked or deleted, effectively silencing its content.
December 7, 2023
Not long after this wave of arrests of opposition figures and journalists on trumped-up charges, it became known that early presidential elections were scheduled for February 7, 2024, in Azerbaijan. According to data published by the Central Election Commission on February 8, 2024, President Ilham Aliyev was “re-elected” with 92.05% of the vote. This was followed by another wave of pressure on opposition media.
December 6, 2023
Several journalists from Meydan TV were detained by Azerbaijani authorities on charges of currency smuggling. Their office was raided the same day, and several staff members were taken into custody.
Late November 2023
Key targets included Abzas Media, Kanal 13, and Kanal 11 — all known for reporting on corruption and government misconduct. Authorities brought criminal charges such as money smuggling, extortion, and fraud, widely viewed as politically motivated. In several cases, detainees were denied access to lawyers and family, and reports of beatings and torture emerged.
In short, Aliyev’s regime has been trying to implement all the possible measures, including even using the closure of land borders in the country as a political tool, to take a complete control over the nation’s internal affairs, restrict dissent, and consolidate power while limiting external influence and scrutiny.