Emil Mamedov
The region’s chief executive sees me as the enemy, and at every event he criticizes me. People close to him had warned me that he will try to obtain my arrest.
Emil Mamedov is the head of the regional NGO 'Promotion of Democracy', one of the most active civil society institutions in the southern region of Azerbaijan. The human rights defender has repeatedly publicised cases on corruption within the local authorities, and defended the civil rights of local residents. The NGO has also been involved in civil society monitoring of the mining industry's activities.
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.
