Strasbourg – ESI at Council of Europe side event on the situation of political prisoners in Azerbaijan

11 October 2023
Video: OBYEKTIV tv

ESI’s Gerald Knaus spoke at a side event at the Council of Europe on “The arrest of Gubad Ibadoghlu and the situation of political prisoners in Azerbaijan”.

Gubad Ibadoghlu, a prominent political economist and civil activist in Azerbaijan, was arrested in July 2023. He was charged with fabricated offenses related to the production, acquisition, or sale of counterfeit money.

This incident adds to the broader concerns regarding the treatment of political prisoners in Azerbaijan whose government is often using legal pretexts to suppress dissent and limit freedom of expression, particularly among activists, journalists, and opposition figures.

The event was organised by Pieter Omtzigt (Member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands). The other speakers were Ibad Bayramov, the son of Gubad Ibadoghlu and Frank Schwabe (German politician of the Social Democratic Party).