The two-day OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting titled “Safeguarding Civic Space in the Digital Age,” held in Vienna, Austria, has concluded. Ahmad Shahidov, head of the Azerbaijan Institute for Democracy and Human Rights and a human rights defender participating in the event, released a brief video statement summarizing the discussions. In his message, he noted that digital security, artificial intelligence, disinformation, and the threats posed by deepfake technologies were widely discussed throughout the OSCE meeting.
In his video statement, Ahmad Shahidov also spoke about his intervention during the third panel session. He stated that he raised concerns regarding certain opposition bloggers living abroad who use artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies to spread fake digital propaganda against the Azerbaijani state, the family members of President Ilham Aliyev, and the country’s national interests. The human rights defender emphasized the importance of taking a more open and principled stance against such provocative activities on international platforms.
At the end of his video statement, Ahmad Shahidov said that he would become more active on international platforms in the future: “We must defend Azerbaijan’s national interests, the position of our state, and the rightful voice of our people more decisively at international events. We will continue our struggle against smear campaigns carried out by radical opposition circles and bloggers living abroad against our country.”
