DISCRIMINATION lockdown measures, ended in March. In the In July, the Anti-Terrorism Act was adopted. absence of government measures to continue Civil society organizations and UN experts to prohibit evictions, experts anticipated a raised concerns that the newly introduced wave of evictions. crime of leading or founding a “religiously motivated extremist organization” would 1. Austria: “We Just Want Some Rights!”: Migrant Care Workers Denied stigmatize and discriminate against Muslims. Rights in Austria (Index: EUR 13/4326/2021), 1 July In August 2020, the regular use of facial recognition technology was introduced in law enforcement operations. This raised AZERBAIJAN concerns regarding its potentially discriminatory impact on ethnic and racial Republic of Azerbaijan minorities, as well as the rights to privacy, Head of state: Ilham Aliyev freedom of expression and peaceful Head of government: Ali Asadov assembly. The number of allegations of racial profiling There was no accountability for violations by police remained high. committed during the 2020 Armenia- Azerbaijan conflict and its aftermath. DETAINEES’ RIGHTS Military hostilities negatively impacted the In May, the Ministry of Justice proposed enjoyment of economic, social and cultural measures to reform the system of preventive rights. Most Azerbaijanis displaced during measures of detention for offenders with that conflict returned, but ethnic mental illness. However, their access to Azerbaijanis displaced from within and near adequate healthcare was not addressed by Nagorno-Karabakh during the 1990s did the planned reforms. not. Persecution and harassment of EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE government critics continued. Peaceful protests were violently broken up. Arbitrary Failures to effectively investigate allegations restrictions continued to cripple the work of of excessive use of force by the police human rights defenders and NGOs. Gender- persisted. An independent investigation body, based violence and torture and other ill- announced by the government in January treatment remained widespread. 2020, had not been established by the end of BACKGROUND the year. Impunity and lack of accountability were also worsened by the continuing lack of International revelations of abusive a requirement for police officers to wear surveillance and corruption implicated the identification badges. Azerbaijani authorities. In July, a collaborative RIGHT TO SOCIAL SECURITY investigation with journalists, media organizations and others exposed the In July, six federal states implemented the Azerbaijani authorities as spying on hundreds Fundamental Law on Social Assistance which of local activists and journalists by using the provided for caps on social aid benefits for NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware. In October, adults rather than ensuring a minimum level another investigation led by the International of cash and in-kind benefits to ensure a life Consortium of Investigative Journalists – in dignity. the Pandora papers – found that the RIGHT TO ADEQUATE HOUSING president’s family and their close associates had been secretly involved in property deals The deferral of rental payments and the worth US$700 million in Britain using prohibition on evictions, agreed by the offshore companies. authorities in April 2020 to protect tenants Azerbaijan rolled out Covid-19 vaccines in unable to pay rent because of Covid-19 January. In September, proof of vaccination Amnesty International Report 2021/22 81