As we approach the somber 2-year mark since the unjust imprisonment of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu by the government of Azerbaijan, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), a leading American human rights lawmaker, renewed the call for securing Ibadoghlu’s release and for the U. S. to sanction the individuals involved in the ongoing medical abuses against Ibadoghlu, a world-renowned economist, former New Jersey resident and now political prisoner.

              As an economist, Dr. Ibadoghlu’s scholarship has included research on the economics of corruption, including in Azerbaijan. The government of Azerbaijan claimed to have arrested him for counterfeiting, a charge widely dismissed as absurd.

              “Two years ago, on July 23, 2023, Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu was unjustly arrested and imprisoned by the government of Azerbaijan,” said Smith. “He is not forgotten, thanks to the tireless advocacy of his family and supporters. Dr. Ibadoghlu’s release and the release without preconditions of all political prisoners can and must be a top priority for the Trump administration as it works to promote peace in the Caucasus.”

              Smith, Co-Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, has advocated for Dr. Ibadoghlu since his arrest, and has drawn attention to his conditions of imprisonment, which seem calculated to undermine Dr. Ibadoghlu’s medical conditions.

              “As Dr. Ibadoghlu’s health has declined, the government moved him from a prison facility to house arrest, but their campaign of retaliation has continued—and perhaps intensified—through specifically controlling and restricting Dr. Ibadoghlu’s medical care.

              “Beyond this, the regime’s repression has extended to Dr. Ibadoghlu’s family—his brother is under police surveillance, an apparent effort to intimidate the anyone who might seek to help or advocate for Dr. Ibadghlu,” Smith said.

              “We deeply appreciate that the Trump administration is working toward his release and that of other political prisoners and I urge Secretary Rubio to maintain urgency and resolve, and to consider the imposition of targeted Magnitsky human rights and corruption sanctions on individuals egregiously involved in the imprisonment and medical abuses suffered by Dr. Ibadoghlu.

              “We must do everything in our power to secure his release and hold this cruel and ruthless government accountable,” Smith said.

              A leading voice pushing for fundamental human rights globally, Chairman Smith has long advocated on behalf of Azerbaijanis persecuted by their own government for exposing official corruption, including blogger Mehman Huseynov in 2015 and 2019. In December 2015, Smith chaired the hearing, “Azerbaijan’s Persecution of RFE/RL Reporter Khadija Ismayilova.” In that same year, Smith introduced the Azerbaijan Democracy Act to promote the rule of law and respect for human rights in that country. He has visited Azerbaijan on several human rights missions. 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.

###

Contact:
Teagan Gambert (202) 225-3765
http://chrissmith.house.gov