Do we like Ilham Aliyev?
Our score: 1 out of 10. Words aimed at Armenia that critics read as a threat, jailed journalists and raided LGBTQ+ venues under his government, with only a peace deal on the other side.
Ilham Aliyev is the president of Azerbaijan. In February 2024 he won a fifth term with over 90 percent of the vote in a snap election. OSCE observers called it “not competitive” and said it was held in a restrictive environment, with critical voices continuously stifled.
The Armenia stoush is the heart of it. In a January 2025 TV interview Aliyev called the independent Armenian state “essentially a fascist state” and said fascism would be eradicated either by Armenia's leadership or by Azerbaijan. Armenia's prime minister said it might be an attempt to build legitimacy for escalation. Aliyev also said Azerbaijan wanted no return to war.
Then came a turn. In August 2025 Aliyev and Armenia's leader signed an initial US-brokered peace agreement and a joint declaration at the White House. In February 2026 he told France 24 that peace was effectively achieved. A critical analysis says he rejects any responsibility for the displacement of more than 100,000 Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh, and Baku has long said they chose to leave.
On the harm check, press freedom is the big black mark. In July 2026 a Baku court sentenced nine journalists, media workers and activists to 12 to 15 years over Toplum TV. They were charged with currency smuggling and other financial offences, which all denied, and Human Rights Watch called the prosecutions politically motivated. The HRW article carried no government response, and nothing here puts these words in Aliyev's own mouth: it is the system he runs.
On LGBTQ+ people, we found no personal statement from Aliyev either way. But in December 2025 police raided a Baku club popular with LGBTQ+ people and detained 106 people. Police said it was about alleged drug use, found no drugs, and fined everyone for smoking indoors, while detainees alleged force and degrading treatment. ILGA-Europe urged the authorities to protect people's rights and dignity.
On the planet, he hosted COP29 in Baku and used the opening speech to defend oil and gas, telling critics: “Quote me that I said that this is a gift of God.” He said Western media ran a campaign of slander and blackmail against his country. UN chief Antonio Guterres said it would be absurd to lean further into fossil fuels now.