Azerbaijan halts compliance with ECHR decisions

(Horizon Weekly) – Azerbaijan has suspended cooperation in implementing rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, raising concerns about the effectiveness of oversight mechanisms, according to the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers in its 2025 annual report.

The report states that Azerbaijani authorities stopped engaging with the Committee on the execution of ECHR judgments after March 18, 2025, and have since failed to provide further updates. The lack of cooperation has complicated monitoring efforts and placed additional strain on the system designed to ensure compliance with human rights rulings.

Data included in the report shows a deterioration in Azerbaijan’s record. The number of unpaid compensation cases rose from 1,002 to 1,066 by the end of 2025, reversing a previously noted improvement in 2024. Cases involving delays of more than six months also increased, reaching 691, up from 634 the previous year.

While most member states were found to be meeting their obligations in a timely manner, Azerbaijan was singled out alongside Ukraine for persistent delays. The report notes, however, that Ukraine’s difficulties are linked to the ongoing war, whereas Azerbaijan’s stem from a halt in institutional cooperation.

In total, 75 Azerbaijani cases were under the Committee’s supervision in 2025, compared to 62 in 2024. Around 10 percent of all cases under review relate to Azerbaijan. Of 169 cases awaiting compensation data by the end of the year, 112 had been delayed for more than six months.

The Committee reiterated that member states are legally bound under Article 46 of the European Convention on Human Rights to fully and promptly implement court judgments. It urged Azerbaijani authorities to resume dialogue and expressed concern over the prolonged lack of engagement.

Statements from Ilham Aliyev have signalled a broader shift in approach. In April 2024, he suggested Azerbaijan may no longer recognize ECHR decisions, citing objections to the country’s role in the selection of judges. In a January 2025 interview, he also confirmed that Baku had suspended cooperation with several European institutions, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.

Azerbaijan has dismissed international criticism of its human rights record as biased. At the same time, rights groups continue to report the presence of roughly 340 political prisoners in the country.