Ahmedov was sentenced to 13 years’ continuing demands by local women’s groups imprisonment for sedition and financing the authorities made no progress in signing terrorism on apparently politically motivated or ratifying the Council of Europe Convention charges. on preventing and combating violence In March, bloggers Elchin Gasanzade and against women and domestic violence Ibragim Salamov were convicted of (Istanbul Convention), while the welcome defamation and sentenced to eight months’ given by pro-government media to imprisonment; and in January another neighbouring Turkey’s withdrawal from the blogger, Sadar Askerov, was detained, beaten treaty undermined the process further. and released after being forced to apologize TORTURE AND OTHER ILL-TREATMENT for a post criticizing local authorities. FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION Reports of torture and other ill-treatment remained widespread. Allegations that Excessive restrictions both in law and Azerbaijani forces subjected captured practice continued to hinder the work of Armenians to torture or other ill-treatment human rights defenders and NGOs. In either when they were captured, during their November, the UN Committee for Economic, transfer or while in custody were not Social and Cultural Rights recommended that effectively investigated. Azerbaijan “repeal any legal provisions that unduly restrict the activities of non- 1. Armenia-Azerbaijan: In the Line of Fire: Civilian Casualties from governmental organizations”. Unlawful Strikes in the Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict Over Nagorno- In May, the European Court of Human Karabakh (Index: EUR 55/3502/2021), 14 January Rights (ECtHR) ruled that Azerbaijan had 2. Azerbaijan: Gender-Based Reprisals Against Women Must Stop arbitrarily denied registration to 25 NGOs in (Index: EUR 55/4103/2021), 12 May violation of the right to freedom of association (Mehman Aliyev and others v. Azerbaijan and Abdullayev and others v. Azerbaijan). In BAHRAIN October, another ECtHR ruling against Azerbaijan found that the authorities had Kingdom of Bahrain frozen bank accounts and imposed travel Head of state: Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa bans to paralyse an NGO’s human rights Head of government: Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa work (Democracy and Human Rights Resource Centre and Mustafayev v. The government continued to commit Azerbaijan). serious human rights violations, including GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE torture and other ill-treatment as well as suppression of freedom of expression and Women’s rights activists, women journalists assembly. Official investigations of ill- and women associated with the political treatment resulted in impunity for opposition were blackmailed and subjected perpetrators. Migrant workers faced wage to degrading gender-specific smear theft and, along with prisoners, violations of campaigns after their social media accounts their right to health. The government were hacked and private information violated the right to privacy through invasive including photos and videos were published surveillance. online.2 In November, the CESCR raised concerns BACKGROUND about the high incidence of gender-based In January, Bahrain was party to a Gulf violence against women and the very low rate Cooperation Council summit that nominally of reporting, particularly of domestic violence, ended its diplomatic dispute and severance and the limited availability of shelters and of economic links with Qatar, which began in support services for survivors. Despite 2017. However, Bahrain had not restored full Amnesty International Report 2021/22 83