The European Parliament Calls for the Release of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan

The European Parliament's Social Democrats and Greens groups have called for the immediate release of Gubad Ibadoglu and all political prisoners in Azerbaijan ahead of the upcoming COP29 climate summit in Baku. In a statement on the social media platform "X," the Social Democrats urged Azerbaijan to address its worsening human rights situation before the conference, scheduled for November.

"We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately release Gubad Ibadoglu and all other political prisoners," the group said, emphasizing that any agreement between the European Union and Azerbaijan should be contingent upon respect for human rights and progress in the peace process with Armenia. The statement also urged the EU to suspend its gas agreement with Azerbaijan until these conditions are met.

The Greens group also released a press statement demanding freedom for Ibadoglu, a prominent economist and critic of Azerbaijan’s state oil and gas industry, who is currently under house arrest. The group has nominated him for the Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought.

Sergey Lagodinsky, a member of the European Parliament and shadow rapporteur on Azerbaijan, criticized the Azerbaijani government for its reliance on fossil fuel revenues and suppression of dissent. "The situation for opposition activists, journalists, and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan is disastrous," he said, highlighting concerns over the repression of civil society in the lead-up to the UN climate conference.

Markéta Gregorová, another MEP from the Greens group, echoed these calls, stating that the EU delegation to COP29 should condemn Azerbaijan's human rights record. "We must recognize and support the struggle of the Azerbaijani opposition before the COP29 conference in Baku," she added.

The vote on the resolution will take place on Thursday, October 24. The decision on awarding the 2024 Sakharov Prize will be announced on the same day at the plenary session.