Rasim Aliyev
Rasim Aliyev was a journalist, human rights defender and chairman of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS). He died on 9 August 2015 in a Baku hospital after being severely beaten on 8 August. He had reported receiving continuous threats and intimidation via social media networks for three weeks leading up to his death.
The space for human rights defenders (HRDs) and NGOs has been steadily shrinking in Azerbaijan. A number of legislative amendments have been adopted in recent years that restrict the work of HRDs and put their activities under strict governmental control. The roundup of the most prominent HRDs and their subsequent trials and imprisonment indicate that Azerbaijan is well on the road towards authoritarianism, seemingly adopting a Russian-style contempt of civil society.
