We inform you that the duration of the selected preventive detention of professor Gubad Ibadoghlu, the Chairman of the ADWP Party, who was arrested seven months ago on the basis of a special order, was unlawfully extended for the third time on February 15, 2024, without any legal or factual basis.
As members of the Board of the ADWP Party, we declare that:
- Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu was not arrested because he committed a crime, but directly on the orders of the regime.
- Since he was detained by special order, we consider Dr. Ibadoghlu not only a political prisoner but also a hostage of the current regime.
- The third extension of the preventive measure without any legal basis, despite the fact that no investigative measures have been carried out in the last seven months, is proof of the regime's failure of power and its inability to obtain valid evidence for the investigation.
- Furthermore, the unlawful extension of the preventive measure for the third time demonstrates the regime's determined intention to keep professor G. Ibadoghlu in detention, deprive him of the possibility of medical treatment and gradually torture him physically and psychologically, leading to his gradual death. This undoubtedly constitutes a serious criminal act tantamount to sentencing a political prisoner to death.
- We unequivocally state that the regime's attitude towards professor Gubad Ibadoghlu is due to the fact that he is perceived as a genuine adversary, especially given the serious concerns raised by his support for the education of determined youth abroad and their engagement with the Azerbaijani leadership.
Therefore, in the absence of any legal or factual basis for the extension of preventive detention against Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu, we unequivocally demand from the competent Azerbaijani authority (Baku Court of Appeal) to revoke the relevant decision of the Narimanov District Court of February 15, 2024.
As ADWP Party, we demand the release of all political prisoners, including Professor Gubad Ibadoghlu, and an end to political persecution by the Azerbaijani authorities. We call on the current regime to adhere to the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and appeal to the Azerbaijani people not to be indifferent to their demands, to stand up for democracy.
We call on the current regime to adhere to the principles of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and appeal to the Azerbaijani people not to be indifferent to their demands, to stand up for democracy, human rights and freedoms. Also we call on the people of Azerbaijan not to remain indifferent to their fate, to mobilize for the fight against lawlessness around the idea of protecting the principles of democracy, human rights and freedoms.
Baku city
18 February, 2024