Azerbaijan, an oil-rich former Soviet republic located on the Caspian Sea with a population of nearly eight million, obtained its independence in August 1991. To the north Azerbaijan borders on the Russian Federation, to the west with the Republic of Armenia, to the northwest with the Georgian Republic, to the southwest with Turkey and in the south with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Azerbaijan's oil reserves and strategic location near Turkey, a NATO member, as well as an increasingly troubled Russia, and Iran, an avowed enemy of the United States, make the Caucasian nation of great geopolitical interest.

Currently Azerbaijan is drawing considerable world attention as major oil companies flock to the region to explore the Caspian and environs for oil and gas. The proposed pipeline route through Azerbaijan to Ceyhan in Turkey has been promoted by the American government as a hedge against other projects perceived to be in the interests of Russia or Iran. Yet despite support in principle from the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments, and some tax breaks and other incentives, the project is stalled; in November, oil company spokesman declared it unfeasible. In the formula of Caspian-watchers, either a billion barrels of oil or a billion dollars in financing must be found.

For a number of historical reasons, Azerbaijan has been slow to develop a human rights and law community. Currently, Azerbaijan has far fewer NGOs than Georgia or Armenia, partly due to Soviet interference in the development of civil society, and aggravated by 1990 Moscow-led invasion of Baku to suppress the Popular Front movement. Activists cite three current reasons for their difficulties:

1) the authoritarian government places obstacles to registration of non-profit, non-governmental groups and makes arbitrary rulings
2) without registration, obtaining foreign grants and local donations is difficult
3) with the government's discouragement, and the lack of funding, public opinion about NGOs is not positive.

For the past several years, the League has been working to help foster the emergence of an independent bar and human rights community in Azerbaijan through partnership with the Association of Lawyers of Azerbaijan and other civil rights attorneys, the Human Rights Center of Baku, the Helsinki Assembly of Azerbaijan, and similar local NGOs. Since the October 1998 elections, President Heydar Aliyev has launched a crackdown on opposition leaders and journalists, jailing some vocal opponents and passing restrictive new legislation on demonstrations. The League has maintained regular contact with its colleagues, defended them when attacked, and publicized the plight of lawyers and human rights activists generally through organizing trips to the United States for a series of public and private meetings with counterparts, government officials, and policy-makers. The League has also facilitated trips for several of the country's prominent human rights advocates to such important UN bodies as the Human Rights Committee and Commission on Human Rights to publicize the extensive abuse of human rights since the presidential elections. Given the Council of Europe's considerable leverage due to Azerbaijan's recent entry into this organization, the League has been urging the Council of Europe to promote and protect human rights more actively in Azerbaijan. The League has also worked closely with the new OSCE mission in Baku.