Gubad Ibadoghlu, a research fellow at the London School of Economics and New University in Exile Consortium, is still detained in Azerbaijan under nebulous charges of currency fraud and connections to the Fethullah Gülen movement. His detainment has recently been extended to February 2024, and he is suffering from medical problems.
https://www.amnestyusa.org/urgent-actions/urgent-action-jailed-academics-health-deteriorates-azerbaijan-77-23/
https://eurasianet.org/prominent-azerbaijani-oppositionist-arrested-allegedly-tortured
https://newuniversityinexileconsortium.org/news/in-the-press/consortium-scholar-dr-gubad-ibadoghlu-arrested-and-detained-in-azerbaijan/
December 18, 2023
Ilham Aliyev
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
The Presidential Palace
19 Istiqlaliyyat Street
Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan, AZ1066
AZERBAIJAN
E-mail: office@pa.gov.az
Fax: (+99412) 492 35 43, (+99412) 492 06 25
Dear President Aliyev,
The Committee of Concerned Scientists is a fifty-year-old independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers, and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.
We are writing a second time to express our concern regarding well-known political economist Gubad Ibadoghlu, a research fellow at the London School of Economics and New University in Exile Consortium. He has done work at such prestigious institutions as Duke University, the Institute for Advanced Studies, the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy, the World Bank, the European Union, UNICEF, USAID, OSCE, and many other organizations. He was originally arrested along with his wife (who has since been released without charges) in July 2023 when they were forced into a car accident and beaten by security agents. He was accused of having a connection to the Fethullah Gülen movement and of carrying counterfeit currency, which appears to have been planted. His pretrial detention has since been extended to February 2024, and he is potentially facing up to twelve years in prison.
The Committee is concerned Dr. Ibadoghlu was arrested for his role in founding the Azerbaijani Youth Educational Foundation in the United Kingdom, which he intended to fund with money confiscated from the foreign bank accounts of corrupt Azerbaijani officials. He may also have been targeted for his opposition to the government, including criticism of its economic policies and leadership of the opposition Democracy and Prosperity Party.
The Committee is especially concerned that Dr. Ibadoghlu is not getting treatment for his numerous health conditions, including diabetes and hypertension, and that his health is rapidly deteriorating from what appears to be torture and other mistreatment.
As Azerbaijan will soon have the attention of the world by hosting the COP29 climate change summit next year, it should consider improving its human rights record. Granting medical treatment to Dr. Ibadoghlu immediately and releasing him as soon as possible would be a step in the right direction.
Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists
CC:
Antony J. Blinken
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
USA
Phone: (202) 647-4000
Twitter: @ABlinken
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee
423 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
USA
Email: Web_Inquiry@foreign.senate.gov
Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
10 Downing Street
London SW1A 2AB
United Kingdom
rishi.sunak.mp@parliament.uk
Khazar Ibrahim
Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States
Azerbaijani Embassy in the United States
2741 34th St NW, Washington, DC 20008
Phone: (202) 337-3500
Email: azerbaijan@azembassy.us