U.S. Rep. Chris Smith—Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Global Human Rights Subcommittee and Co-Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission—today called on the government of Azerbaijan to provide Dr. Gubad Ibadoglu, an economist who has been unjustly imprisoned, with immediate access to medical care following his recent transfer from prison to house arrest:

            “This heroic political prisoner suffers from a number of medical conditions, which have been greatly aggravated by the lack of adequate medical care and the cruel conditions of his imprisonment.

            “The government of Azerbaijan must facilitate the best medical care possible for Dr. Ibadoglu.

            “The Azerbaijani government bears full responsibility for the current state of Dr. Ibadoglu’s health—and that of its other political prisoners, POWs, and ethnic Armenians illegally detained.”

            A fierce defender of human rights, Smith has advocated for Dr. Ibadoglu’s release since the time of his arrest last year and has advocated for other political prisoners of the government of Azerbaijan, including Khadija Ismayilova.

            In 2015, Smith authored the Azerbaijan Democracy Act to promote democracy and human rights in Azerbaijan, which has one of the most repressive governments in the world. The U.S. government’s report on human rights practices in the country documents many grave abuses—including unlawful or arbitrary killings, torture, harsh and sometimes life-threatening prison conditions, arbitrary detention, political prisoners, and politically motivated reprisal against individuals outside the country.

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