Human Rights

Prisoner of Conscience: Gubad Ibadoghlu

Gubad Ibadoghlu

Gubad Ibadoghlu, a 60-year-old prominent Azerbaijani scholar and opposition figure, fled his home country back in 2017. Little did he knew that when he returned to visit relatives in Azerbaijan in the summer of 2023, he would get arrested.

On July 23 Ibadoghlu and his wife were travelling by car when around twenty plain-clothed police officers stopped their vehicle, beat them, then took them in custody by forcing them into separate police cars. The police did not offer any explanation for their detention.

Later, his family said that his wife was released.

Shortly after that, Ibadoghlu, a senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, was charged with manufacturing counterfeit money, some of which was found in an office of his. However, that office space hadn’t been used in years, according to his family. Later he was charged with the preparation, storage, and distribution of religious materials.

His family has been banned from leaving the country, even though they are not part of the criminal investigation. The Red Cross and other foreign organizations’ requests to visit him have been declined.

Ibadoghlu’s detention came a few weeks after the economist had publicly announced his establishment of a scholarship fund for Azerbaijani students who wish to study abroad. He planned to finance this charity with money confiscated from Azerbaijani officials by the country’s anti-corruption body.

Many human rights advocates condemned the charges against Ibadoghlu, saying that these criminal proceedings are based on bogus charges and are politically motivated.

“Gubad Ibadoghlu’s arrest on fabricated charges is yet another example of the Azerbaijani authorities’ misuse of the criminal justice system to target peaceful criticism and dissent,” said Natalia Nozadze, Researcher for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at Amnesty International, in a statement. “Gubad must be immediately and unconditionally released and those responsible for any ill-treatment he suffered held to account.”

Over the years Ibadoghlu has been a fierce critic of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for both his policies and his alleged graft. Ibadoghlu is also the chair of the opposition Democracy and Prosperity Movement in Azerbaijan, which has been denied a party registration.

Media investigations have revealed that Aliyev and his close circle have been involved in corruption and money laundering schemes.

In previous years, the state had pardoned many activists imprisoned on similar trumped-up charges but in recent months, the government has stepped up its efforts to crack down on independent voices by targeting journalists, opposition leaders, and other critics of the government. Many still remain behind bars.

Ibadoghlu's health has significantly worsened since his initial detention in July 2023 – the activist suffers from diabetes and heart problems.

In September 2023 the European Union adopted a resolution in Ibadoghlu’s support, demanding that Azerbaijani authorities immediately release him and provide access to medical treatment, as well as asking member states to “condemn the serious human rights violations and breaches of democracy in Azerbaijan, and to raise cases such as Gubad Ibadoghlu’s in all bilateral meetings and during negotiations for a future partnership agreement, the signing of which should be conditional on the release of all political prisoners”.

Disclaimer:  As of December 1, 2023, Gubad Ibadoghlu is still in custody, awaiting trial.

We feature select few prisoners of conscience out of the many in East and Southeast Europe. One political prisoner is one too many. 

Find out who the other political prisoners are #PrisonersofConscience  #FreeThemAll and in the special Focus on our website.