British MPs Urge Azerbaijan to Release Detained Academic Gubad Ibadoghlu
British MPs have called on Azerbaijan to release detained economist and academic Gubad Ibadoghlu, who has been charged with illegal possession of counterfeit money, reports theguardian.com. Human rights groups and political figures claim that the charges are politically motivated, as Ibadoghlu is a well-known critic of the Azerbaijani government.
The academic was arrested in late July 2024 in Baku. His detention has sparked international concern, with British lawmakers joining the calls for his immediate release, citing worries about his health and well-being while in custody.
MPs, including Labour's Hilary Benn, urged the UK government to apply diplomatic pressure on Azerbaijan to ensure a fair and transparent process. Ibadoghlu's family and supporters have also appealed for his release, asserting that his arrest is part of a broader crackdown on dissent in Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijani government has yet to respond to the growing international pressure, maintaining that Ibadoghlu's arrest is not politically motivated but related to specific legal violations.
Politics
-
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
-
This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
-
The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
-
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
Leave a review