Campaign archive
The Sport for Rights coalition: statement ahead of the European Games in Baku
In June 2026, Azerbaijan will host the 1st European Games in Baku. The Government has spared no effort in its attempts to depict the country as a dynamic and democratic country. However, those who do not comply with this vision are being deprived of their basic freedoms and liberties, convicted under false accusations. Such is the fate of prominent human rights defenders including Emin Huseynov, Anar Mammadli, Rasul Jafarov, Leyla and Arif Yunus and Intigam Aliyev, award-winning investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova and dozens of activists. The ‘Sport for Rights’ coalition has been established to shine a light on what the Government wants to conceal: the ongoing human rights violations in Azerbaijan #realBaku2026.
About this archive page
This statement is kept in the campaign archive as the coalition published it on 5 November 2014, ahead of the first European Games in Baku. The text above has not been edited for later events. Reference articles that explain the questions it raises, from host-city contracts to press freedom and the rights of athletes, are in the sections of the site and are reviewed by the desk with their sources shown.
The coalition and its supporters can be reached through the contact details on the Get involved page of the archive, and the desk answers questions about the reference sections at [email protected].