Germany and Azerbaijan signed an energy partnership on 21 July, a deal that the German side says will help the European Union replace Russian gas and oil with supplies from the South‑Caucasus. The agreement was concluded a few weeks after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Baku, where she praised Azerbaijan’s potential to promote regional stability.

Energy security versus human rights

German officials stressed that the EU needs reliable and diversified energy sources and pointed to Azerbaijan’s oil and gas fields as a cornerstone for more stable gas supplies to European households, with the prospect of lower winter prices. The partnership is also seen as a response to the 2026 blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which heightened global energy‑market volatility.

At the same time, the deal has drawn criticism from human‑rights groups. Reporters Without Borders estimates that at least 25 journalists are detained in Azerbaijan, and the country ranks 171st in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index, two places above Russia. More than two dozen journalists are imprisoned, according to the report.

Since the Munich Security Conference in February, where President Ilham Aliyev claimed "there is no independent media in the world", prosecutions of journalists from Abzas Media, Meydan TV and Toplum TV have increased. Charges have included alleged currency smuggling and threats to national security – accusations that have previously been dismissed.

Sevinj Vagifgizi, editor‑in‑chief of Abzas Media, was arrested at Baku airport in November 2023 after publishing investigations about the Aliyev family. In June 2025 a trial sentenced Vagifgizi and six colleagues to nine years in prison; the Supreme Court later confirmed the verdict. Vagifgizi is now held in Lankaran prison, near the Iranian border.

Letters smuggled from Lankaran prison describe daily torture sessions beginning between 9 and 10 a.m., false pregnancy diagnoses for a woman who had undergone a hysterectomy, and threats of sexual violence and degrading treatment by prison staff. These testimonies were reportedly passed on by sympathetic guards and legal aides.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas visited Baku in May and described Azerbaijan as a "valuable energy partner" while insisting that "candid dialogue on human rights" is required. Yet no EU delegation has met with families of the imprisoned journalists or with independent civil‑society groups during recent visits.

Consumer groups and the European Trade Union Confederation have warned that energy agreements must not become a licence to ignore fundamental freedoms, urging the European Commission to insert human‑rights clauses into future contracts. Reporters Without Borders, Amnesty International and the European Centre for Press Freedom have drafted an open letter to von der Leyen and the European Council demanding a public stance on the detained journalists.

Some EU officials have floated the idea of targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for the media crackdown, but no specific measures have been announced. The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs plans to debate a resolution next month that would link future energy contracts to measurable improvements in press freedom.

In parallel, several Azerbaijani shipping companies operate vessels that belong to Russia’s “shadow fleet”, used to evade EU sanctions. Sanctions‑busting reports have identified these tankers as transporting oil and gas that would otherwise be blocked.

The energy partnership therefore sits at a crossroads: it promises greater energy security for the EU while exposing a stark tension between commercial interests and the EU’s stated commitment to press freedom.