CPJ Urges Swiss Protection for Azerbaijani Journalist Facing Threats in Exile

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Swiss authorities to take urgent action to ensure the safety of exiled Azerbaijani journalist and press freedom advocate Emin Huseynov, after he reported multiple incidents of being followed and surveilled by armed men while residing in Switzerland. CPJ’s appeal, made on February 27, 2026, reflects deep concerns about the security risks faced by journalists in exile whose work and family ties continue to attract hostility.

Huseynov, co-founder of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) — a Switzerland-based Azerbaijani press freedom organisation — told CPJ that during his stay in Geneva for a human rights conference on February 18, he was observed being tailed by at least two individuals on separate occasions, including a man carrying a handgun concealed under his jacket. The journalist said one of the men fled when confronted and recorded on his phone, and that he has reported additional episodes of apparent surveillance to Swiss police, who have confirmed they are investigating the matter.

CPJ emphasised that the allegations of being pursued by armed individuals raise alarms, given the broader context of threats against Azerbaijani journalists abroad. Azerbaijani pro-government media have reportedly launched a smear campaign against Huseynov and his family — including his brother, journalist and blogger Mehman Huseynov, who has faced death threats tied to critical video reports about Azerbaijan’s political leadership. Mehman was previously jailed from 2017 to 2019 for his work and now remains under police protection in Europe.

Swiss authorities have been asked to carry out a full and rapid investigation into the surveillance claims and to take all necessary steps to protect Huseynov’s safety, CPJ said. The organisation highlighted Azerbaijan’s troubling record of targeting independent journalists, noting that the country was ranked among the world’s worst jailers of journalists in CPJ’s most recent prison census, with at least 24 journalists detained in Azerbaijani jails.

Huseynov has lived in Switzerland since 2015, when he fled Azerbaijan aboard a Swiss diplomatic plane after months of hiding inside the Swiss Embassy to escape arrest on politically motivated charges. He described the recent surveillance events as potential “attempted kidnappings or assassinations,” pointing to past incidents, including a 2017 abduction of another Azerbaijani journalist from Georgia and assassination attempts linked to state actors. The unresolved nature of these security threats highlights ongoing dangers faced by journalists even when in exile.

CPJ noted that its repeated requests for comment from the Azerbaijani presidential office on the matter went unanswered, underscoring persistent concerns about accountability and the protection of press freedom defenders operating far beyond their home borders.

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CPJ calls on Swiss authorities to protect Azerbaijani journalist Emin Huseynov