Azerbaijani activists complained about pressure after their appeal to von der Leyen.

The colony administration has intensified pressure on imprisoned Azerbaijani activists and journalists who sent an appeal to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urging her to raise issues of political prisoners and media freedom during her visit to Azerbaijan, relatives of the activists reported.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on June 29, Azerbaijani political emigrants and human rights defenders sent an appeal to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of her visit to Baku, calling for the inclusion of issues of political prisoners, media freedom, and the state of civil society in the agenda of negotiations with the Azerbaijani authorities. Among those who appealed to the head of the European Commission were also activists Bakhtiyar Gadiyev, Pyunhan Kerimli, media manager Mohammed Kekalov, and four other prisoners: Jamil Guliyev, Anar Gasanov, Yashar Agazade, and Gündüz Mirzoyev.

In Azerbaijan, prisoners of correctional facility No. 6, who previously appealed to the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, faced pressure. This was reported to their relatives by one of the signatories of the appeal, activist Bakhtiyar Gadiyev.

"After the visit of the head of the European Commission, pressure on Bakhtiyar Gadiyev and other prisoners who appealed to von der Leyen has intensified. In particular, they are not receiving media and social media clippings brought by their relatives, books are not being issued to them, their complaints are not being addressed, and they are facing physical pressure from the colony administration. One of them, Yashar Agazade, was placed in a punishment cell and has been there for more than two weeks," a relative of Gadiyev told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity.

According to him, Gadiyev indicated that the Azerbaijani authorities are tightening repression even more as international pressure weakens.

"It is clear that for Europe, energy, economic, and trade interests have become a priority. However, as Bakhtiyar said, ignoring the rights of hundreds of political prisoners, journalists, and activists for these interests contradicts Europe's own values and principles of human rights protection," noted Gadiyev's relative.

As the Azerbaijani authorities see a weakening of international pressure, they further tighten repression, carry out new arrests, and try to silence imprisoned people by depriving them of contact with information, media, and society, emphasized a close associate of the activist.

A relative of another prisoner, Yashar Agazade, confirmed that the activist was placed in a punishment cell after Ursula von der Leyen's visit.

"In protest, Yashar declared a hunger strike and has been continuing it for the 16th day now," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity.

One of the Baku activists sadly noted the diminishing attention of Western institutions to the human rights situation in Azerbaijan.

"Unfortunately, the topic of human rights has disappeared from the public rhetoric of high-ranking EU representatives," he told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity.

This year, Azerbaijan was visited by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaia Kallas, and Ursula von der Leyen, he noted. "None of these representatives even mentioned the arrested activists and journalists," the activist added.

The main theme of the visits of EU leaders has been issues of Europe's energy security, increasing gas supplies, and the development of the Middle Corridor, which has gained attention after the war against Iran and disruptions in global transportation due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Such a position regarding the suppression of human rights further encourages the regime to intensify repression and completely suppress dissent, emphasized the activist from Baku.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan and the European Union held negotiations in Baku on June 2-3 on the project of a new comprehensive agreement and a document on Partnership Priorities for 2026-2030. Analysts linked the intensification of negotiations to the increased importance of Azerbaijan for the EU in the fields of energy and transport logistics, but pointed out the absence of mentions of human rights violations in the official Brussels communications.