Key Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge Biden Admin To Secure Gubad Ibadoghlu's Release Ahead Of COP29

A bipartisan group of almost three dozen senior U.S. lawmakers is urging the Biden administration to secure the release of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu, a well-known academic and anti-corruption expert, from house arrest on humanitarian grounds and allow him to safely relocate outside of Azerbaijan, in advance of COP29, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

In a letter shared with TURAN, 33 senior senators and Congress members pressed Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the president’s senior climate adviser, John Podesta, to continue direct engagement with the Azerbaijani government to encourage them to release Dr. Ibadoghlu ahead of the annual UN climate conference.

"International attention will be focused on the country as it hosts thousands of civil society and government representatives. We urge you to take this opportunity to emphasize to your Azerbaijani counterparts that releasing Dr. Ibadoghlu on humanitarian grounds, removing all restrictions on his movements, and dropping the charges against him would be positive steps consistent with their international human rights obligations," reads the letter dated Oct 30.

The lawmakers wend on to add, "Additionally, we ask that you urge the Azerbaijani authorities to consider the possibility of re-settlement for Dr. Ibadoghlu to another country, and that you explore this option with your European counterparts, particularly Sweden, Germany, and the United Kingdom, where we understand conversations may already be underway. Any of these countries would be able to provide Dr. Ibadoghlu with the medical treatment he has so far been unable to access in Azerbaijan, and would allow him to safely reunite with his family."

The authors recall that Dr. Ibadoghlu, who has taught and conducted research on public finance management and good governance at several U.S. universities, and most recently at the London School of Economics, led the Economic Research Center, an Azerbaijani nongovernmental organization working on anti-corruption and budget transparency issues, until the government effectively closed it in 2014. In consequence, he began living in exile, but returned to Azerbaijan in July 2023 to visit his family.

"Shortly after his arrival in Azerbaijan he was arrested and the authorities brought charges against him related to counterfeiting currency and possessing extremist religious materials. These charges have been resoundingly condemned by numerous international institutions and human rights organizations as fabricated and politically motivated. Dr. Ibadoghlu spent nine months in a pre-trial detention facility before being transferred to house arrest, where he remains," reads the letter.

"During his detention, his chronic health conditions deteriorated as he was not provided adequate medical treatment. Although his trial has not begun and is currently suspended, he remains under a travel ban. If convicted, he could face up to 17 years in prison," the lawmakers noted.

The letter concludes: "We strongly urge you to continue to prioritize the case of Dr. Ibadoghlu in the lead-up to COP29, a moment that we believe offers a window of opportunity"

The annual international climate meeting, known as COP29 runs Nov. 11 to 22 in Baku. President Biden and Secretary Blinken will not attend the summit this year, the White House confirmed last week. The U.S. delegation will be led by John Podesta, the senior presidential adviser for international climate policy. Other top Biden administration officials set to attend include Jennifer Granholm, secretary of the Department of Energy; Tom Vilsack, the secretary of the Department of Agriculture; and Ali Zaidi, the White House climate adviser, according to a State Department list.