Human rights

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev (right) with Vasif Talibov (left), now former governor of Nakhchivan in an official meeting in 2017. On December 21, 2022 Talibov resigned from his ruling position in the country’s remote enclave after 27 years. The 62-year-old cited health concerns, but rumours had been circulating that the central government in Baku sought greater control on the region.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev (right) with Vasif Talibov (left), now former governor of Nakhchivan in an official meeting in 2017. On December 21, 2022 Talibov resigned from his ruling position in the country’s remote enclave after 27 years. The 62-year-old cited health concerns, but rumours had been circulating that the central government in Baku sought greater control on the region. © Azerbaijan’s Presidential Press and Information Office

Azerbaijan: “The Sultan” Steps Down

Longtime ruler of autonomous enclave resigns on health concerns, but observers maintain his exit was on Baku’s orders.

24 Jan 23
A woman takes part in a Women's March on August 13, 2020 in Minsk, Belarus. There have been nightly protests since the presidential election, in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory and another term in his 26-year rule of the country. Preliminary results gave him 80% of the vote, which opposition candidates alleged is a rigged count.
A woman takes part in a Women's March on August 13, 2020 in Minsk, Belarus. There have been nightly protests since the presidential election, in which President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory and another term in his 26-year rule of the country. Preliminary results gave him 80% of the vote, which opposition candidates alleged is a rigged count. © Misha Friedman/Getty Images

Flower Power: Women Prisoners in Belarus

The combined sentences of those jailed in demonstrations amount to nearly 500 years.

18 Jan 23
Struggling to make ends meet in her native Armenia, Lilit (not her real name) was lured into a nanny job in Greece. Instead she found herself trapped in Istanbul, with no documents and forced into prostitution. According to the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), 68 Armenian citizens were identified as having been trafficked between 2017 and 2021.
Struggling to make ends meet in her native Armenia, Lilit (not her real name) was lured into a nanny job in Greece. Instead she found herself trapped in Istanbul, with no documents and forced into prostitution. According to the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), 68 Armenian citizens were identified as having been trafficked between 2017 and 2021. © Armine Avetisyan

Armenia: Trafficked and Exploited

The pandemic and Nagorny Karabakh conflict of 2020 have led to a steep rise in the number of Armenian victims.

12 Dec 22
As Russians occupied large areas of the southern region of Kherson, civilians struggled to get by. “Russian soldiers came to each household several times to donate products. They didn't force anyone: you can either take it or not. But you need to eat something, right?” Mykhailo, a 71-year-old resident of Velyka Oleksandrivka village, told IWPR.
As Russians occupied large areas of the southern region of Kherson, civilians struggled to get by. “Russian soldiers came to each household several times to donate products. They didn't force anyone: you can either take it or not. But you need to eat something, right?” Mykhailo, a 71-year-old resident of Velyka Oleksandrivka village, told IWPR. © Ivan Krasikov/IWPR

Kherson: Aid and Intimidation Under Occupation

Residents describe how Russian forces used a carrot-and-stick approach with the local population.

5 Dec 22
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