Reuters: Azerbaijan rejects 'disgusting' US human rights criticism before COP29

[Dennis Donovan]

Kenneth Roth
For Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, it is criticism of his repression that is "disgusting" rather than his repression itself. How was this autocrat ever selected to host the COP29 climate summit?

8:41 AM · Oct 5, 2024

Reuters - Azerbaijan rejects 'disgusting' US human rights criticism before COP29

By Nailia Bagirova

October 4, 2024
10:58 AM EDT
Updated a day ago

BAKU, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Friday rejected what he called a "disgusting" letter from U.S. lawmakers who criticised his country's human rights record and urged it to free political prisoners before it hosts next month's COP29 climate conference.

The letter, signed by nearly 60 lawmakers, urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "press for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and POWs, including ethnic Armenians, to enable a more conducive environment for successful diplomacy at COP29".

It said that "provocative" Azerbaijani statements towards Armenia risked undermining peace negotiations between the two countries, which have fought two wars since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Speaking in Jabrayil, a town recaptured from Armenian forces in a 2020 war, Aliyev called the letter "a disgusting appeal that cannot influence our will" and said it had been drawn up "to threaten and accuse us".

/snip

Why were they chosen to host COP29, anyway? Fuck him. Another autocrat within Putin's sphere...

Link to tweet

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

Rumsfeld said it was the cameras that were the problem (when evidence of torture came out at Abu Ghraib).

Guess blaming the evidence and talk of something bad is the go-to for some mentalities. You know, instead of blaming the actual bad and those who enable it.

[orthoclad]

2. Fossil capture

Now that the fossileers realize they can't ignore away global heating, fossil producers are busy capturing COP and governments.

Azerbaijan is a major producer of of fossil gas. A few years ago there were reports of truly massive methane leaks from their gas well infrastructure. They also perpetrate massive gas flaring. Azerbaijan pumps huge amounts of CO2 and methane into the atmosphere.

https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-gas/cop29-host-azerbaijan-failing-report-ever-growing-methane-emissions/

"Satellite data shows an increase in gas flaring since Azerbaijan last reported its emissions six years ago, calling into question BP and state oil company’s pledge to eliminate methane flaring by 2030."

from https://www.naturalgasworld.com/azerbaijans-potential-and-challenges-in-flaring-and-methane-emissions-ggp-86571

"Since any hydrocarbon extraction implies releasing surplus methane and associated gases, companies often choose to flare the gas, the combustion of which generates the CO2. If those gases are not flared, and are just released into the air in methane form instead, the environmental damage becomes even greater."

Fossileers use flaring for greenwashing.

As always, follow the money.