STATEMENT is addressed to the U.S. Department of State and President Donald Trump

** This statement represents the official position of ASIMCOM, an organization established by Azerbaijani political exiles in Europe. It is addressed to the U.S. Department of State and President Donald Trump.

We seek to draw the attention of the international community to the worsening human rights and fundamental freedoms situation in Azerbaijan. The policy of the newly elected U.S. president, his administration, and the State Department regarding human rights and freedoms is of great importance to us. In this context, we are deeply concerned about the systematic violations of rights and freedoms in Azerbaijan.

In recent years, authoritarian rule in Azerbaijan has intensified, and the government has expanded its use of pressure and repression to completely silence and eliminate political opponents, independent journalists, civil society activists, and critics. Currently, there are more than 350 political prisoners in the country, most of whom have been imprisoned on fabricated charges. Almost every day, new politically motivated arrests take place, and dissenting voices are suppressed through false criminal cases.

Freedom of the press has been completely eliminated. Independent journalists have either been jailed or forced to flee the country due to severe physical and psychological pressure. Social media is under tight control, and those who criticize the government are targeted and persecuted. The legal framework has been systematically tightened to restrict the activities of civil society organizations.

We call on the U.S. government, the State Department, and the new administration not to remain indifferent to these serious human rights violations in Azerbaijan. We want to believe that the United States still upholds democracy, human rights, and freedoms as a priority in its foreign policy agenda.

Therefore, we demand that the U.S. administration take a clear and principled stance on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan and send strong, direct messages to the Azerbaijani government calling for:

•	The release of

political prisoners,

•	The restoration of press and

expression freedoms,

•	An end to repressions against civil

society.

The international community and democratic nations must not remain silent. As repression deepens in Azerbaijan, those fighting for human rights and fundamental freedoms need support more than ever. It is crucial that the United States and other democratic countries take a firm and consistent stance on these issues and implement concrete pressure mechanisms against the regime in Azerbaijan.

We address you as representatives of the Azerbaijani political opposition, as members of a society that has been systematically intimidated, oppressed, and stripped of its freedoms through administrative violence, and as individuals who continue to resist despite daily persecution and the constant fear of arrest.

We urge the U.S. government to take decisive action on this matter and expect the international community to become more actively involved in addressing these concerns.**