Human rights groups have called for a review of how countries are chosen to host the COP climate summits.
The Azerbaijani government is using COP29 to crack down on environmental activists and other political opponents, according to human rights groups.
“We've seen a dramatic increase in arrests and clamp down on all issues that the government may perceive critical or contrary to its political agenda,” she said. "I think it is one of the rules of the authoritarian government, to arrest, to detain the people who have the power to impact opinion," Mr Ibadoglu told the BBC in an interview this week.Azerbaijan is preparing to expand its oil and gas operations in the coming years despite a global commitment to "transition away" from fossil fuels
Nazim Beydemirli, 61, was sentenced to eight years in prison in October for extortion. He was arrested last year after he protested about gold mining operations near his village. No evidence was presented during his 15 months of pre-trial detention. His lawyer, Agil Lajic, insists the charges are baseless, and part of a broader pattern of silencing dissent in Azerbaijan ahead of COP29.
Speaking before the start of the conference, senior Azerbaijani foreign ministry official Elchin Amirbayov told the BBC: “I don’t accept these type of allegations, as they are not based on facts. He has called on the UN to make sure the host country agreement - the contract between the UN and the host - contains a clause banning the use of spyware against attendees – which he says was a concern at previous conferences.
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