Gubad Ibadoghlu is a well-known opponent of the Azerbaijani government and its economic policies. In the academic year 2018–19, he served as a visiting professor at Rutgers University's Department of Economics.
Ibadoghlu's arrest happened just two weeks after the launch of his Azerbaijani Youth Educational Foundation, a UK-based initiative aimed at recovering funds that were stolen from the Azerbaijani populace and the economy. According to his wife, Irada Bayramova, both she and Gubad were beaten while in police custody. Whilst detained, Ibadoghlu has been denied crucial medications for his diabetes and hypertension, which raises large health concerns. This arrest is widely criticized as a part of a wider crackdown on political opposition by the Azerbaijani government.
The Rutgers University Student Assembly strongly condemns this violation of human rights and calls for immediate action to secure his release.
To express your support, we've compiled a list of petitions below. These links have been included for your convenience in our linktree:
Petition to Members of Congress: Urge for the Release of Professor Gubad Ibadoghlu
https://www.petition2congress.com/.../demand-release...
Demand The Release of Professor Gubad Ibadoghlu:
General Petition:
https://www.change.org/.../demand-the.../u/31790837...
***The information used in this post has been sourced from Eurasianet, The Washington Post, and the Human Rights Watch. For further reading, these articles are also linked in RUSA's linktree.