In June 2021 the UEFA European Football Championship saw Azerbaijan co-hosting the tournament’s event. The country’s glittering capital Baku was one of the cities selected to hold matches for Euro 2020. Behind the vibrant facade of the oil-rich nation, Azerbaijan is ruled by President Ilham Aliyev and his family, an autocratic regime accused of human rights violations.
Investigations led by German law enforcement agencies reveal allegations of high-ranking politicians accepting bribes from Aliyev’s regime. The bribery was allegedly in return for these politicians’ push toward priming Aliyev’s reputation, despite evidence that his regime flagrantly disregarded individual freedoms, such as the suppression of freedom of expression and lawyers critical of the regime. Follow the reporters’ investigation as they delve into the proverbial rabbit hole, with exclusive documents and interviews with experts, witnesses, and, most critically, unfortunate victims of the Aliyev regime.
