According to the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan ranks first in Europe for the number of journalists arrested and convicted. At the end of 2025, the country had 36 such journalists—out of a total of 148 across the continent. Russia accounts for 32 repressed media workers, Armenia for two, and Georgia for one.
As the authors of the report note, citing Amnesty International, this is an unprecedented figure for politically motivated persecution of the press in Azerbaijan since joining the Council of Europe in 2001.
Officially, Baku denies systemic repression in the country. At a press conference in Berlin on April 26, 2025, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized: "Azerbaijan guarantees media freedom. There is no censorship, the internet functions freely, and hundreds of media outlets operate. Therefore, it would be unfair to criticize Azerbaijan for actions allegedly aimed at hindering the development of the media. "Accusations of press restrictions are unfounded." The head of state explained the arrests of journalists as measures against "illegal funding of certain media structures from abroad," which, he said, is fully consistent with national legislation.
