After much pressure from human rights activists, and just days after Formula One announced its new human rights policy, the company approved Azerbaijan to host its first Grand Prix. When the company’s chief executive, Bernie Ecclestone, was asked if he would be looking into the country’s human rights record, he replied, "We have. I think everybody seems to be happy. Doesn’t seem to be any big problem there."
Despite Ecclestone’s sunny picture, in reality Azerbaijan has a dismal human rights record and is currently executing a massive crackdown on civil society, as reported by Human Rights Watch and others. These actions have been accompanied by massive PR campaigns to improve the country’s overall image. While Formula One’s new human rights statement notes that the company will “engage in meaningful consultation with relevant stakeholders in relation to any issues raised as a result of our due diligence”, what they are doing in practice is just business as usual.
While there are many positive examples of companies speaking out for human rights, far too many remain silent when human rights are at stake in repressive states, or, in a small amount of cases, work against the interests of human rights. It is increasingly common for large multinationals to have public human rights policies, many of which result in real action to address the human rights issues directly related to their operations. Often, these policies include commitments to undertake human rights due diligence and engage with stakeholders. But when some companies establish or continue operations in repressive states, these public commitments are regularly at odds with their inaction and silence.
