Joint statement on the arrest of Gubad Ibadoghlu by the Chair of the Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, MEP Marina KALJURAND, and the European Parliament's Standing Rapporteur on Azerbaijan, MEP Željana ZOVKO
Brussels/21.08.23/Turan: "We are seriously concerned by the arrest and rapidly deteriorating health of Mr Gubad Ibadoghlu, a well-known Azerbaijani scholar and opposition leader. Mr Ibadoghlu was arrested on 23 July 2023 on counterfeiting charges and remains in detention, reportedly with limited access to food and vitally needed medication, subject to humiliating treatment and strict limitations of contacts with his family and lawyer, in violation of his fundamental rights.
We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to provide him with urgently needed health care and medication without delay and we call for his immediate release.
The case of Gubad Ibadoghlu highlights the state of human rights and fundamental freedoms in Azerbaijan and its further deterioration in recent months, as noted in the European Parliament's resolution of 15 March 2023. Credible independent organisations currently list as many as 200 political prisoners in Azerbaijan, detained based on doubtful charges, including opposition politicians, as well as well-known independent journalists and civil rights activists, such as Polad Aslanov and Bakhtiyar Hajiyev.
In this context, we deplore also the ongoing criminal case against prominent human rights lawyer Elchin Sadiqov and the suspension of his bar license as of 6 July 2023.
We urge the immediate release of all political prisoners and the dropping of all politically motivated charges.
We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms and human rights and we note that their continuous failure to do so significantly harms the country's international image and credibility”,- reads the statement. -0-
Politics
-
Elvin Zeynalov, a religious activist living in the village of Mashtaga, was detained on January 31 around noon by individuals in plain clothes outside a store near his home. According to his relatives, later in the evening, Zeynalov was brought back home by people in black clothing, who conducted a search. They took Zeynalov's pants from the wardrobe, put marijuana in the pocket, then "seized" the drugs, filmed the video, and then took the activist away again.
-
Aide to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev is on a visit to Iran, where he met with Adviser to the President of the Islamic Republic Mehdi Sanayi.
-
On January 31, the trial of opposition politician Tofig Yagublu continued at the Baku Serious Crimes Court, where the examination of documents resumed. Yagublu pointed out the falsification of the search protocols related to the search at his home. He drew attention to the fact that the protocol stated that on December 14, 2023, at 16:00, the investigator completed the questioning of the "victim" and decided to conduct a search.
-
During the winter session of PACE at the Palais de l'Europe in Strasbourg, a "parallel event" was held on January 30 dedicated to the "alarming human rights crisis in Azerbaijan." The hearings were organized by the Institute for Reporters' Freedom and Safety (IRFS) and PACE member, co-chair of the Group of Unified European Left (Group of the Unified European), Spanish parliamentarian Laura Castel Fort.
Leave a review