What was Gubad Ibadoglu arrested for?

Baku/24.07.23/Turan: The day before, Gubad Ibadoglu, chairman of the Azerbaijan Democracy and Welfare Party (APDB), was detained by the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that he is under suspicion of having ties with FETÖ, based on information received from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Turkey.

One of the five detainees testified about their connection with Gubad Ibadoglu, which led to a search of his office. During the search, documents related to the case were found, and subsequently Gubad Ibadoglu was detained. According to the Ministry's statement, the investigation is currently ongoing.

During a search of the office, $40,000 was allegedly found, but it remains unclear whether this money is genuine or fake. Gubad Ibadoglu's daughter, Zhalia Bayramova, expressed suspicions that the police may have planted money.

The reason for the arrest of Gubad Ibadoglu is based on the statement of a certain Anar Aliyev, who claimed that the politician gave him dollars. However, Gubad Ibadoglu denied this claim, and his lawyer, Zibeida Sadigova, said that he did not know anyone with that name.

Ellada Mammadli, a member of the Board of the Democracy and Welfare Party, shared her vision of the situation during the "Difficult Question" program. She argued that the arrest of Gubad Ibadoglu was not unexpected, given his harsh criticism of the authorities, especially regarding human rights violations and corruption.

Recently, Gubad Ibadoglu, in collaboration with Professor Jamil Hasanli, head of the National Council of Democratic Forces, and former diplomat Arif Mammadov, created the "Foundation for the Education of Azerbaijani Youth" in the UK. Arif Mammadov is currently in political exile in Europe.

According to Mammadli, the main goal of the authorities seems to be the elimination of political opponents, with Gubad Ibadoglu being the main target. She stressed that the Law on Political Parties further restricted their activities, including provisions prohibiting participation in political life for persons who have lived and worked abroad for 20 years or more. In her opinion, this was done specifically to target political opponents such as Gubad.

Mammadli is firmly convinced that the initiation of a criminal case against Gubad Ibadoglu marks the pinnacle of the authorities' efforts to suppress the political opposition in Azerbaijan.