Gubad Ibadoghlu is a prominent academic and anti-corruption activist in Azerbaijan. In July 2023, he and his wife Irada were surrounded by unmarked cars and arrested on fabricated ‘extremism’ charges. Their arrests are part of an ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders and government critics in Azerbaijan ahead of COP29, which started in Baku earlier this month.
Bayram is Gubad and Irada’s child. Here they describe the story of their parents’ arrest and detention and call for international support for all people arbitrarily detained in Azerbaijan.
On 23 July 2023, my father, Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu , was arrested. He’s an academic who has been conducting extensive investigations and research into the environmental effects of gas and oil, money laundering, corruption, and embezzlement in Azerbaijan.
Six police cars surrounded my father’s car. The car was crushed . Then the police forcefully opened the car doors and physically dragged my mom and dad out. They have not seen each other since then.
It was a big shock for us. The brutality of the arrest created a chilling effect on our civil society. If a London School of Economics professor and his wife can be physically assaulted in this fashion, anything can happen to anybody.
Me and my three brothers were crying and screaming on the phone, as nobody was able to find them for hours. My parents were taken to the Organized Crime Department that is known for torturing activists in its basement. My father was deprived of drinkable water, food, medication and had no access to a doctor. The reason that he experienced such brutal detention conditions is because he has been criticizing the oil and gas industry in his country, because he has been investigating oil and gas environmental effects, revenues, corruption and money laundering.
My father takes nine medications daily, and when he was detained, he had no access to any of them; they deliberately withheld his medication. They want to damage his health as much as possible so that when he is released, he can no longer continue his research on corruption, embezzlement, and money laundering.
On 22 April 2024, my father was released under house arrest from the detention center. I was very happy, but I was not fully relieved because he is still under house arrest. He’s not free yet. Until I get him out of the country, I don’t think I can relax or be fully happy.
I still need international support to save my father’s life. Therefore, I ask everyone to raise their voice against the Azerbaijani government.
And my father is not alone.
The number of people arbitrarily detained has tripled since his arrest and is now more than 300. Journalists, like Sevinj Vagifgizi, are getting arrested. Two media outlets Abzas Media and Toplum TV have been raided. Alasgar Mammadli, journalist and founder of Toplum TV, has no access to medication and is prevented from essential medical treatment for cancer.
Anar Mammadli, a human rights defender who founded the Climate of Justice Initiative, was kidnapped on the street with no news for hours because of his work monitoring elections.
They are all detained and waiting for trial.