Politicians in Azerbaijan have discussed introducing a Russian-style anti-LGBTQIA+ propaganda law for several years, and reports in local media suggest the government may be preparing to move forward with the proposal.
The proposed legislation could place restrictions on LGBTQIA+-related content in the media and online, while severely limiting depictions of LGBTQIA+ relationships. It could also ban such depictions in advertising and cinema releases, while preventing schools from providing any representation of non-heterosexual relationships.
Same-sex relationships have been legal in Azerbaijan since 2000, but the country has one of the poorest records on LGBTQIA+ acceptance in Europe.
ILGA-Europe ranks Azerbaijan last among the 49 European countries it assesses for LGBTQIA+ rights protections, citing “a near total absence of legal protection” for LGBTQIA+ people.
The push for stricter laws has been growing for several years. Earlier in 2026, some media outlets criticised the availability of LGBTQIA+-related content on streaming services such as Netflix and called on the government to restrict access.
Russia first introduced its laws restricting depictions of LGBTQIA+ people in 2013. Initially, the legislation focused on content that could be viewed by children, but in recent years its application has expanded to adults as well. The country has also designated LGBTQIA+ advocacy groups as “extremist organisations”.
Examples of censorship have included an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants having sections blurred when a character created a rainbow. More significantly, staff at a Russian bar are facing up to seven years in prison after authorities alleged they were operating a gay venue.
Publishers have also faced pressure to remove books with LGBTQIA+ themes, while websites hosting the graphic novels that inspired the television series Heated Rivalry have reportedly been blocked.
Belarus passed similar laws in April 2026 outlawing depictions of “homosexual relations, gender changes and childlessness”, while claiming all three were linked to the promotion of paedophilia.
