European Parliament head repeats call to drop charges against Gubad Ibadoglu
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola on 17 December, in Strasbourg, at the ceremony of awarding the Andrey Sakharov Prize, reiterated her call to drop charges against one of the finalists of the award, economist Gubad Ibadoglu.
She welcomed his daughter Zhalya Bayramova, who was in the audience.
Metsola pointed out that Ibadoglu, currently under house arrest in Azerbaijan, had deteriorated in health following his arbitrary and unjust arrest.
‘I take this opportunity to call on the Azerbaijani authorities to drop all charges against Dr. Ibadoglu, lift the ban on leaving the country and urgently provide him with the help he needs,’ Metsola said.
It ought to be noted that the Azerbaijani authorities denied Ibadoglu the opportunity to travel to Strasbourg to participate in the Sakharov Prize award ceremony.
* Ibadoglu was arrested in July 2023. He was charged under Article 204.3.1 (sale of counterfeit money) and Article 167-3.1 of the Criminal Code (possession and distribution of extremist materials).
A number of states, international organisations, politicians, including the US State Department, US senators and congressmen called for Ibadoglu's release. He was recognised as a political prisoner.
On 22 April 2024, the court granted a defence motion to place Ibadoglu under house arrest.
However, on 4 May, police officers put an electronic bracelet on him to monitor him remotely.
In September, Ibadoglu was asked to suspend the investigation into his case, however, no ban on him leaving the country has been lifted.
Politics
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On December 18, the Baku Appeals Court rejected the appeal by economist and scholar Gubad Ibadoglu, challenging the decision to maintain his travel ban. Ibadoglu’s defense team had requested the lifting of the ban so that he could accept an invitation to attend the Sakharov Prize award ceremony at the European Parliament on December 17. Ibadoglu was one of the finalists for the prize, but the Narimanov District Court on December 3 had denied this request.
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On December 18, a number of pro-government media outlets reported the arrest of former diplomat Ramiz Valiyev, who had held key positions in several Azerbaijani embassies abroad. "It has been revealed that Ramiz Valiyev, who worked in senior positions at Azerbaijan's embassies in foreign countries, is suspected of abusing his authority, according to the investigative body of the State Security Service," the article states. Valiyev is further accused of anti-government activities and cooperation with foreign entities.
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On December 18, the Supreme Court reviewed the appeal of Avaz Zeynalli, founder of the online platform Xural TV, and Elnur Shukurov, head of the YouTube channel Sada TV. "Avaz Zeynalli rejected all accusations, stating that he is being persecuted for his journalistic activities. He reminded that he had already been convicted once for accepting a bribe, but the European Court had ruled that conviction unlawful," Zeynalli's lawyer, Fahraddin Mehdiyev, said in a statement to Turan. The Supreme Court has reduced Zeynalli's prison sentence by only 2 months. He was originally sentenced to 9 years in prison.
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On 18 December, in an interview with the ‘All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company’ (ARSTRBC) and ‘RIA Novosti’ President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev made a substantial reference to criticism of the West's policy towards Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus region.
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