Co-Chairs Urge Action on Behalf of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu and Galib Bayramov

Washington, D.C.- Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Congressmen Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) and Congressmen James P. McGovern (D-MA) have written to Jacob A. McGee, Senior Bureau Official at the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor at the U.S. Department of State, urging the Department to press the government of Azerbaijan to release the economist and anti-corruption advocate Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu and to end the persecution of his brother, Galib Bayramov. 

In the letter, the Co-Chairs describe the continued detention and harassment of both men as politically motivated and emblematic of Azerbaijan's broader crackdown on opposition members. They emphasize that U.S. diplomatic engagement is crucial to secure their release and to affirm America's commitment to defend human rights and freedom of expression worldwide.

The text of the letter is reprinted below and a pdf is available here. 

Dear Mr. McGee, 

We write as Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) to express deep concern regarding the ongoing persecution by the government of Azerbaijan of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu and his brother Galib Bayramov. The abysmal human rights record of the government of Azerbaijan, where hundreds of political prisoners remain behind bars and independent voices are silenced, has been well documented in the State Department’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and is too notorious to require further elaboration here. 

The persecution of these two men has been particularly severe and oppressive. Ibadoghlu was unlawfully detained on fabricated charges in July 2023, and Mr. Bayramov is persecuted for supporting his brother. Ibadoghlu suffers from serious health conditions and urgently requires adequate medical care which cannot be properly provided during the arrest. 

Regarding the well-known case of Dr. Ibadoghlu, he remains under indefinite house arrest since April 22, 2024, barred from travel and required to report to police twice weekly. Many in Congress have supported his release - H.Res. 120 has been introduced on his behalf and now has 45 co-sponsors. Most recently, on the second anniversary of his detention, 14 senators issued a bipartisan statement calling for his release. 

The government of Azerbaijan has escalated Ibadoghlu’s case by extending its persecution to Ibadoghlu’s brother, Galib Bayramov, who regularly visited and publicly supported Ibadoghlu, including on social media. On April 10, 2025, Bayramov was formally charged as a defendant in the so-called “NGO case” by the Grave Crimes Investigation Department of the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan and was placed in police custody. 

He was formally indicted under Article 193-1.3.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan (legalization of property obtained through crime) and Article 308.1 (abuse of power). The charges are as patently absurd as the counterfeiting charge against his brother. On September 5, 2025, the pre-trial investigation was declared complete, and the case was referred to the Baku Court on Serious Crimes for adjudication. If convicted, Bayramov faces a prison sentence of 8 to 12 years. 

We respectfully request you to urge the government of Azerbaijan to release Dr. Ibadoghlu and cease its persecution of Galib Bayramov. 

Sincerely,

Members of Congress