Azerbaijan: Opposition Figure Remains in Detention

Wednesday, 9 August, 2023

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Lamiya Adilgizi

Freelance Azerbaijani journalist

Concerns are growing over the welfare of a prominent opposition leader in Azerbaijan who remains in detention after a request to be released to house arrest was turned down by a Baku court.

On August 1, the Narimanov district court overturned an appeal to ease conditions for economist and scholar Gubad Ibadoglu, who suffers from diabetes and hypertension.

Ibadoglu and his wife Irada Bayramova were seized last month by masked men in Baku. He was sent to four months of pre-trial detention on charges of the production, acquisition or sale of counterfeit money. If found guilty, he could face up to 12 years in prison.

The ministry of internal affairs announced that Ibadoglu had been detained based on intelligence related to the activities of the FETÖ movement led by US-based Sunni cleric Fethullah Gülen. Ankara considers Gülen to be responsible for the 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey.

Ibadoglu’s daughter Zhala Bayramova, a human rights lawyer based in Sweden, told IWPR that her father “is not religious at all and has nothing to do with Fethullah Gülen”.

“It is not relevant at all, as the FETÖ case is not mentioned neither in the court case nor in the investigation or any related matters,” 25-year-old Bayramova continued, describing the allegations as a “bluff” designed to isolate her father.

“The apparent objective is to discourage people from coming to his defence, as there is a genuine fear that anyone could be arrested under the pretext of being associated with Fethullah Gülen,” she said.

Gubadoglu’s arrest, along other pressures on critics of the Azerbaijani government, has been described as part of a reciprocal agreement with Ankara.

Over the years, Turkey has extradited activists wanted by Azerbaijan, including journalist Rauf Mirqadirov, activist Anar Jabbarov and others. In 2017, two individuals connected to the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan and one rights activist faced charges related to the Gulen movement, although the accusations were later changed.

Activist Rufat Safarov, who is part of Ibadoglu’s newly established Rights Defending Committee, said that the government had stepped up its arrests over the last year.

Prominent figures arrested included activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev in December 2022, followed in February 2023 by Zamin Salayev, the head of the Popular Front Party's Salyan district branch. In July, former member of parliament and businessman Nazim Baydamirli was arrested and charged on various counts.  

Safarov said that Ibadoglu had been “detained like a terrorist” because of the Azerbaijani Youth Education Fund in London that he had founded in June 2023 with two other opposition figures.

Ibadoglu had announced that fund would attempt to “retrieve the dirty money stolen by the Azerbaijani government and use it to provide education for young people abroad”.

“This move seems to have triggered the government's anger,” Safarov continued. “The fund's activities would likely focus on using the government's financial assets abroad and recovering confiscated economic resources.”

Following the announcement of the fund's establishment, pro-government media in Azerbaijan published articles suggesting that the founders - Ibadoglu, academic Jamil Hasanli and former diplomat Arif Mammadov - were attempting to lure young people abroad to join their networks.

IWPR asked the press office of the Azerbaijani embassy in London for a comment about the education fund but did not receive a response.

Safarov noted that President Ilham Aliyev had made what appeared like a veiled reference to Ibadoglu in a speech castigating “various NGOs…[that] discredit us, cast shadows on our work”.

“Even the local representatives who label themselves as economists make different statements and provide various opinions,” Aliyev stated. “It's all a jumble of ideas. We have a great example from our wise ancestors - they teach us a lesson while they cannot share the barley between two donkeys.”

PRISON CONDITIONS

There are growing concerns about Ibadoglu’s health. He seemed to have lost a significant amount of weight in his most recent court appearance.

“His confinement in a closed room raises further worries, especially considering that he requires medicines prescribed by his foreign doctors on a specific schedule,” said his lawyer, Zibeyda Sadigova. “However, the penitentiary service has not been providing these necessary medications, and this lack of regulation is posing a serious risk to his well-being.”

The conditions in which he is being held are deeply concerning, added Bayramova.

“As far as I am informed, dad is reportedly deprived of any reading or writing materials and subjected to assault and abuse. The room he is confined to lacks adequate air circulation and natural light,” Bayramova said adding, “his health is worsening with each passing day. There are grave concerns that if he is not released soon, he could become bedridden and unable to function at all."

Ibadoglu’s wife told IWPR that he was facing regular physical and psychological abuse.

“His fellow inmates, who are convicted of serious crimes, are spying on him, leaving him isolated and unable to seek help for his basic needs,” Bayramova said.