Azerbaijan’s parliamentary election in November 2015 provided further evidence of the absence of rule of law in Azerbaijan. The majority of opposition candidates were not allowed on the ballot, there was no mechanism for debate on television, election monitors faced intimidation, and Azerbaijan generally failed to abide by minimum standards of elections it has committed itself to in the OSCE. Rule of law means that governmental powers are restricted by certain standards, which includes that citizens are allowed mechanisms to hold government accountable, such as through the media and civil society. These freedoms are greatly restricted in Azerbaijan. This briefing sought to better understand the situation in Azerbaijan through the testimonies of experts, including a particularly moving testimony by Dinara Yunus, the daughter of two imprisoned Azerbaijani human rights defenders.
Member
Hon. Robert B. Aderholt
Commissioner
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Moderator
Shelly Han
Policy Advisor
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Witnesses
Ambassador Richard Morningstar
Founding Director of the Global Energy Center
Atlantic Council
Natalia Bourjaily
Vice President - Eurasia
International Center for Not-For-Profit Law
Dinara Yunus
Daughter of Imprisoned Azerbaijani Human Rights Defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus
Relevant Issues
Relevant Countries
Georgian Dream’s Escalating Crackdown on Dissent
Feb 11, 2026Since October 2024, Georgian Dream, Georgia’s ruling party, has plunged the country into its worst human rights crisis since independence. They have passed more than 20 new laws that expand […]
Ranking Member Cohen Condemns Sentencing of Hong Kon...
Feb 09, 2026WASHINGTON—Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Political Prisoners, strongly condemns the 20-year prison sentence handed to media tycoon and […]
Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Cohen Celebrates ...
Aug 01, 2024WASHINGTON—Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s 56-nation Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Political Prisoners, today welcomed news that three journalists and Paul Whelan, wrongly […]
Helsinki Commission Advances Human Rights, Demands f...
Oct 19, 2023By Shannon Simrell, Senior Policy Advisor Between October 2-13, 11 Helsinki Commission staff joined approximately 1,400 representatives of OSCE participating States (pS) and civil society representatives in Warsaw, Poland in […]
Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin’s Personal Prisoner
Sep 20, 2023Stream here: HEARING: Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin’s Personal Prisoner – YouTube Vladimir Kara-Murza, a father, husband, and a freedom fighter, has been in detention for over five hundred days and is currently […]
Helsinki Commission Leadership Celebrate Pardon of N...
Jun 23, 2023Washington—Today, the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Representative Joe Wilson (SC-02) and Ranking Member Steve […]
HELSINKI COMMISSION SENDS APPEAL TO GEORGIAN PRESIDE...
Apr 28, 2023WASHINGTON— The leadership of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Chairman Representative Joe Wilson (SC-02), Co-Chairman Senator Ben Cardin (MD), and […]
Congressmen Cohen and Wilson Introduce Resolution Re...
Oct 28, 2022WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Co-Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, and the Commission’s Ranking Member, Congressman Joe Wilson […]
Helsinki Commission Slams Shutdown of Novaya Gazeta
Sep 08, 2022WASHINGTON—Helsinki Commission Chairman Sen. Ben Cardin (MD), Co-Chairman Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09), Ranking Member Sen. Roger Wicker (MS), and Ranking Member Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-02) today condemned the shutdown of […]
Co-Chairman Cohen Calls for the Release of Political...
Aug 09, 2022Washington – On the second anniversary of the sham presidential election in Belarus, the Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman and OSCE PA Special Representative on Political Prisoners Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) issued […]
CO-CHAIRMAN COHEN APPOINTED AS OSCE PARLIAMENTARY AS...
Jul 21, 2022WASHINGTON—Margareta Cederfelt, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA), has appointed Helsinki Commission Co-Chairman Rep. Steve Cohen (TN-09) as the first-ever OSCE PA Special Representative on Political Prisoners. “I welcome […]