Azerbaijan Court of Appeal leaves Gubad Ibadoglu under arrest
Case of Gubad Ibadoglu
The Azerbaijani Court of Appeal has left opposition politician Gubad Ibadoglu under arrest. According to lawyer and relatives, his health is in critical condition. Representatives of civil society appealed to President Ilham Aliyev to facilitate the release of Ibadoglu. But the politician’s brother believes that at the moment “the development of events does not give grounds for optimism.”
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On August 7, the Court of Appeal dismissed a lawsuit to change the preventive measure of detention to house arrest of scientist, economist and opposition politician Gubad Ibadoglu.
Lawyer Bahruz Bayramov said the court found the complaint “groundless.” According to him, Ibadoglu participated in the trial and still does not consider himself guilty, says that he is being persecuted for his political activities.
“Health remains critical”
According to Abzas Media, the politician’s brother Galib Togrul said his brother’s condition remains serious.
“Blood pressure does not decrease, heart problems continue. Blood sugar does not fall and causes kidney complications. Now the lymph nodes in his neck have increased in size due to a disorder of the nervous system. Conditions there are such that health cannot be in a normal state. Lack of air, immobility. Even if he takes medicine, his health will not return to normal. Now we will discuss with his lawyer our actions for his transfer to a medical facility.”
According to the lawyer and relatives of the politician, since the day of his arrest he has lost 9 kilograms of weight in 15 days.
Members of the public appealed to the President
Ghalib Togrul says that although members of the public have approached the head of the country about the release of his brother, he does not have much hope for a positive result. “So far, the course of events shows that there is no reason to expect a positive result,” he said.
Two days ago, on August 5, a group of public and political figures appealed to President Ilham Aliyev with a request to assist in the release of Professor Gubad Ibadoglu, who is under arrest.
The appeal was signed by 141 people – scientists and artists, journalists, politicians, human rights activists. They stated that the arrest of Gubad Ibadoglu would damage the reputation of the country, and asked the head of state to take into account his scientific activities and create conditions for his release.
One of the applicants, a former diplomat, Professor Nasib Nasibli, says that he does not find the allegations against Ibadoglu convincing:
“He is a thinker, a creative person, a famous scientist, he needs to be released, what could be more natural? His place is freedom, not prison. There is a very wrong practice, a person is immediately detained and put in jail. In a serious investigation, if there is doubt, it may be decided that the person should not leave the country and let the investigation be carried out. There is no point in planting it right away. I don’t find the accusations against him convincing. He is a scientist, he cannot make counterfeit money, he cannot be a member of the FETÖ movement,” Nasibli said.
What happened?
On July 23, Gubad Ibadoglu, chairman of the Azerbaijan Democracy and Prosperity Movement, was detained by officers of the Main Department for Combating Organized Crime. He was charged under article 204.3.1 of the Criminal Code (when an organized group committed the manufacture, acquisition or sale of counterfeit money or securities). According to information released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, one of the five people detained in the course of a special operation related to FETÖ (an organization declared terrorist in Turkey, whose head, Fathullah Gülen, is a preacher living in Pennsylvania, USA), had links with Ibadoglu which led to his prosecution.
Searches were carried out in his office, apartment, dacha. On July 24, the Narimanov District Court of Baku city sentenced the opposition politician to 3 months and 26 days of arrest.
Ibadoglu pleads not guilty to the charges and links his arrest to political activities.
The embassies of a number of Western countries called on the Azerbaijani government to ensure the rights of Ibadoglu and release him.
