COP29 in Azerbaijan an “Extreme Display of Hypocrisy”: Greta Thunberg. VIDEO

“Azerbaijan, a country responsible for human rights abuses and ethnic cleansing, seeks to expand its fossil fuel extraction,” renowned Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg stated at the conference titled “The Impact of Azerbaijan’s Aggression on Human Rights and Environmental Protection” in Yerevan. Thunberg voiced deep concerns about Azerbaijan’s human rights record and environmental practices. According to her, holding a climate conference in such a setting embodies the very hypocrisy and double standards she believes hinder meaningful global progress.

“The fact that this repressive state would host COP29 is a revolting display of hypocrisy. In a conference supposedly dedicated to tackling climate change and promoting justice, we are instead granting legitimacy to a country accused of trampling on its own citizens’ rights and committing severe human rights violations.” Thunberg added that Azerbaijani activists feel as if they live in a prison, silenced by their own government. Those who seek change are repressed, their voices stifled.

Thunberg noted that, rather than challenging such practices, the international community has frequently turned a blind eye. “We cannot pick and choose which rights we want to uphold,” she asserted. “If we are committed to justice, it has to be justice for everyone.”

In her remarks, Thunberg emphasized that climate justice extends beyond emissions targets and environmental protections; it encompasses accountability for human rights abuses. She cited the recent suffering of Armenians as a direct consequence of Azerbaijani aggression, noting that the displacement, torture, and detention many have faced are critical issues that should not be ignored.

“The ethnic cleansing for which Azerbaijan is responsible, the hardships and suffering experienced by many Armenians as a result of Azerbaijan’s new aggression, the torture and forced displacement, the captivity, hostage-taking, and the physical and psychological brutality endured by individuals are utterly unacceptable.”

“It is not just about scientific urgency,” she added. “This is a moral imperative. We cannot allow nations to expand fossil fuel production while silencing the voices that challenge them. And we certainly cannot stay silent while ethnic cleansing and human rights abuses are swept under the rug.”

Thunberg urged the global community to reassess its priorities, emphasizing that climate action cannot be effective if it lacks a foundation of justice and integrity.

“The Impact of Azerbaijan’s Aggression on Human Rights and Environmental Protection” conference is being held in Yerevan, organized independently as a side event to COP29. The special guest is Ms. Greta Thunberg, an environmental activist, who has chosen to boycott COP29 in Baku and arrived in Armenia following recent protests outside Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia.