Gubad Ibadoghlu

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Detained: July 23, 2023.

Charges: Manufacturing with the intention of selling counterfeit foreign currency (Article 204.3.1 of the Azerbaijan Criminal Code) & preparation, storage, or distribution of religious extremist materials (Article 167-3.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan).

Sentence: None.

Biography: Gubad Ibadoghlu is a prominent economist based in the United Kingdom where he serves as a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics. He and his wife, Irada Bayramova, were detained on July 23, 2023 near Baku, Azerbaijan, after they had returned to the country earlier in July to visit Dr. Ibadoghlu's ailing mother. They were driving a car when they were rear-ended by another vehicle and other vehicles surrounded them. Approximately 20 people in masks emerged from the vehicles and ordered the two to exit their vehicle, violently dragging Ms. Bayramova from the car. Scared, Ms. Bayramova attempted to free herself from the masked men and was punched in the face. The two were held incommunicado for several hours at a facility operated by the Main Directorate of Combatting Organized Crime. Ms. Bayramova was eventually released, however upon returning to the facility later that day to deliver Dr. Ibadoghlu's medication for diabetes she was turned away. Only the next day did the authorities accept the medication, ostensibly to give it to him, though there is no confirmation that the medicine, which is necessary to maintain his health, was administered. In addition to this incident, Dr. Ibadoghlu's detention by the Main Directorate of Combatting Organized Crime raises additional concerns about his health and wellbeing given that government entity's documented history of the use of torture and other abusive tactics. Dr. Ibadoghlu has had uneven access to his medicine, as well as drinking water and food. The recent treatment of Dr. Ibadoghlu's and Ms. Bayramova is yet another example of that body's problematic tactics.

Dr. Ibadoghlu is a well-known academic who has focused his research on public financial management, good governance, and budget transparency, especially pertaining to the oil and gas industry in Azerbaijan. He has taught and conducted research at institutions such as the London School of Economics, the University of North Carolina, and the Institute for Advanced Studies in New Jersey. In addition to his academic work, he has participated in a variety of civil society organizations, among them the Economic Research Center, a group liquidated by the Azerbaijani authorities in 2014 on unsubstantiated charges. This incident contributed to Dr. Ibadoghlu going into exile in 2017. He was a 2015 Fulbright Scholar, a 2015 Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow at the National Endowment for Democracy, a 2018 Prague Civil Society Centre Fellow, and a recipient of the 2018 Civil Society Scholar Award by the Open Society Fund.

While abroad, Dr. Ibadoghlu has continued to actively participate in Azerbaijani social and political life. He serves as Chairman of the Azerbaijan Democracy and Prosperity Movement, established in 2014. Since 2021 Dr. Ibadoghlu has tried to register the group as a political party without success. Dr. Ibadoghlu actively shares his analysis of corruption, politics, and economics in Azerbaijan in a variety of forums, including on Facebook and on his YouTube channel, BizTV, which has more than 60,000 subscribers. In June 2023, just prior to his return too Azerbaijan to visit his mother, Dr. Ibadoghlu established the Azerbaijani Youth Education Foundation in the UK with two Azerbaijani opposition politicians with the goal of educating and developing young Azerbaijanis. Two weeks prior to his detention, Dr. Ibadoghlu announced on Facebook that the group would accept donations and seek access to foreign assets confiscated from corrupt Azerbaijani oligarchs to support his efforts. Days before he was detained, Dr. Ibadoghlu believed he was being followed.

Dr. Ibadoghlu is falsely charged with the production, acquisition or sale of counterfeit money by an organized group. On July 24, 2023, Baku's Narimanov District Court ordered Dr. Ibadoghlu detained for three months and 26 days while the charges are investigated. If convicted, Dr. Ibadoghlu could face up to 12 years in prison. On August 25, 2023, an additional charge was added to the accusations against Dr. Ibadoghlu under Article 167-3.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (preparation, storage, or distribution of religious extremist materials) in connection books about Fethullah Gülen that were allegedly confiscated from Dr. Ibadoghlu's office in Baku.

Dr. Ibadoghlu suffers from high blood pressure and diabetes. He has been given access to some of his medication, but it is not clear whether he has access to all his medication and if he is able to regularly take it. Dr. Ibadoghlu continues to have uneven access to fresh water and food, contributing to his declining health. Despite his declining health, Dr. Ibadoghlu was last examined by a doctor only on August 3, 2023. Additionally, conditions in the detention facility are atrocious, where cells are crowded, there is no air conditioning (despite outside temperatures sometimes topping 100 degrees the summer), there are no beds, and inmates regularly smoke cigarettes, among other environmental challenges.

Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu was CONDITIONALLY RELEASED to house arrest on April 22, 2024.

Advocacy Partner: Freedom Now

Advocate: Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)

Updates:

• On August 6, 2023, the Editorial Board of the Washington Post published an op-ed entitled "Opinion | The kleptocracy strikes back. An Azerbaijani economist should be freed," which called for the United States Government to push for the release of Dr. Gubad Ibadoglhu (August 6, 2023, Washington Post).
• On September 7, 2023, Amnesty International released a statement calling for the immediate, unconditional release of Dr. Ibadoghlu (September 7, 2023, Amnesty International.
• On September 9, 2023, Dr. Ibadoghlu's daughter reported that he is often subjected to "psychological pressure" by prison authorities (September 8, 2023, OC Media). The following week, one of his sons reported that Dr. Ibadoghlu's health was continuing to decline and that he had been denied treatment for a heart condition (September 12, 2023, Open Democracy).
• On September 14, 2023, the European Parliament adopted a resolution which called for Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu to be immediately released and provided with medical care (September 14, 2023, European Parliament).
• On March 19, 2024, the Washington Post Editorial Board published an op-ed highlighting Dr. Ibadoghlu's case and reported that he had written to his family about the poor conditions and medical neglect he was suffering from (March 19, 2024, Washington Post).
• Dr. Ibadoghlu was transferred from pretrial detention to house arrest on April 22, 2024 (April 22, 2024, OC Media).
• In an October 16, 2024 article titled "Opinion | Another major climate conference helps a despotic regime," the Washington Post's Editorial Board highlighted Gubad Ibadoghlu’s case while calling out the decision to allow Azerbaijan to host the COP29 conference (October 16, 2024, Washington Post).
• On October 17, 2024, the European Parliament announced that Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu was selected as one of the three finalists for the 2024 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought (October 17, 2024, European Parliament). However, he was not selected as the prize winner that year.
• On October 23, 2024, it was reported that Dr. Ibadoghlu was being denied treatment for an aortic aneurysm (October 23, 2024, OC Media).
• On December 11, 2024, Secretary Blinken released a statement condemning the escalated crackdown on civil society and independent media in Azerbaijan and called for the immediate release of Gubad Ibadoghlu, among others (December 11, 2024, U.S. Department of State).