Azerbaijani dissident Gubad Ibadoglu released from prison and placed under house arrest
Gubad Ibadoglu is under house arrest
In Azerbaijan, after nine months of detention, opposition politician and economist Gubad Ibadoglu has been placed under house arrest. He plans to make sure the criminal case against him is completely dropped.
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On April 22, the Narimanov District Court in Baku decided to place Gubad Ibadoglu, the chairman of the Azerbaijan Democracy and Prosperity Party, under house arrest. His lawyer, Bahruz Bayramov, announced this decision.
Bayramov said, the defense filed a motion due to Ibadoglu’s deteriorating health condition.
Previously, several courts had rejected this motion.
Gubad Ibadoglu intends to seek the complete termination of his criminal prosecution.
“Today’s court decision cannot be seen as complete freedom. I have been placed under house arrest. I am not allowed to leave Baku, travel outside Azerbaijan. If I change my place of residence, I must inform the relevant authorities. The unfounded accusations against me have not been dropped,” Ibadoglu told the Turan news agency.
However, as he noted, being under house arrest will allow him to “seriously focus on his health.”
During his 9-month detention, his health deteriorated significantly due to high blood sugar levels.
Ibadoglu expressed gratitude for the efforts to secure his release and thanked his lawyers, journalists, and media covering his case, human rights activists, representatives of the international democratic community, and colleagues from foreign academic circles.
He also stated that he would advocate for the release of other political prisoners, including Tofig Yagublu, Nazim Baidermirli, and journalists from Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Kanal 13.
Gubad Ibadoglu, an opposition politician and employee of the London School of Economics, was arrested on July 23 and charged under Article 204.3.1 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code (preparation, acquisition, or sale of counterfeit money or securities by an organized group).
The next day, by the decision of the Narimanov District Court of Baku, he was remanded in custody for three months and 26 days during the preliminary investigation period. Later, Ibadoglu’s pre-trial detention was extended twice.
On the day of Gubad Ibadoglu’s arrest, $40,000 was found in his office, part of which, it is claimed, turned out to be counterfeit. However, the opposition figure stated that the money did not belong to him and that the police “discovered the money, which they themselves planted in his office.“
On August 25, he was charged with a new offense under Article 167-3.1 (preparation, storage, dissemination of religious extremist materials) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
According to information provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, one of the five individuals detained in a special operation linked to FETÖ had connections with Ibadoglu, leading to his involvement in the investigation.
After a while, Turkish law enforcement detained another economist and scholar, Fazil Gasimov, who lives and works in Istanbul, and handed him over to the Azerbaijani government. According to official information, he was arrested in connection with Gubad Ibadoglu’s case, and he was also charged under Article 204.3.1 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
Gubad Ibadoglu stated that this accusation was also absurd and refused to give testimony in protest.
