- Zurich National Council member and EVP representative, Nik Gugger, was denied entry as an election observer in Azerbaijan.
- Gugger was detained at Baku airport, facing the only denial of entry within the Swiss delegation; passport was confiscated, and three-hour airport detention.
- Possibility of being on a blacklist, potentially linked to Gugger's association with the Council of Europe or advocacy for displaced Christian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
- Gugger travelled as an accredited OSCE election observer for the upcoming presidential elections in Azerbaijan.
- Possibility of being on a blacklist, potentially linked to Gugger's association with the Council of Europe or advocacy for displaced Christian Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
- Potential diplomatic consequences, including the summoning of the Azerbaijani ambassador to Bern, as suggested by an EDA spokesperson.
The Zurich National Council member was detained at the airport in Baku, the only member of a Swiss delegation facing this issue. He may have ended up on a blacklist. Authorities in Azerbaijan denied entry to Nik Gugger, the Zurich EVP National Council member and election observer. According to "SonntagsBlick," police confiscated his passport and prevented his entry. Gugger was reportedly held at the airport for three hours. "What transpired there is a scandal," he remarked upon his return to "SonntagsBlick."
Gugger travelled as an official and accredited election observer on behalf of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to Azerbaijan. His mission was to observe the presidential elections scheduled for next Wednesday. According to the newspaper, the remaining members of the Swiss delegation and other observers were allowed to enter.
Only after a flight to Turkey did Gugger regain possession of his passport. After a more than 30-hour odyssey, he finally returned to Zurich Airport. The 53-year-old, who has previously undertaken OSCE assignments in Russia and Moldova, stated, "It is a new level of escalation for a regime to so blatantly discredit an observer mission." Gugger described the situation as distressing.
The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) will intervene with Azerbaijani authorities through diplomatic channels. Efforts were made to support Nik Gugger, and the Swiss Embassy in Baku is in contact with Azerbaijani authorities, as confirmed by the EDA upon inquiry.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis was informed of the diplomatic affront early in the morning. A potential consequence of the diplomatic incident could be the summoning of the Azerbaijani ambassador to Bern, according to an EDA spokesperson on Radio SRF.
Upon his return, Gugger already spoke with the Azerbaijani ambassador. An official discussion is scheduled for Monday, as he confirmed in response to Keystone-SDA's inquiry.
The reason for preventing Gugger's entry was unclear. Gugger assumes that it may be related to his work with the Council of Europe. The regime in Baku had announced that no election observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe would be accepted. Therefore, Gugger may have ended up on a blacklist.
Additionally, the EVP National Council member advocated for the Christian Armenians displaced by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh. Following a rally by the Society Switzerland-Armenia and the human rights organization Christian Solidarity International in Geneva in February 2023, Gugger was part of a group of eight parliamentarians who sharply criticized Azerbaijan on Bundesplatz in Bern. Gugger personally protested to the Azerbaijani ambassador as well. He expects a clear response to the denied entry during Monday's discussion with the Azerbaijani ambassador. If possible, he intends to travel to Baku again to be present for the evaluation of the election results.
@Jasikaran Vickneswaramoothy is a legal reporter for the Swiss Financial Times.
