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A group of bipartisan lawmakers from the US Congress are preparing to introduce a bill which would impose sanctions on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s personal plane until economist and pro-democracy figure Gubad Ibadoghlu is released, journalist Alex Raufoglu reported on Monday, citing sources.
While visiting Azerbaijan in July 2023, Ibadoghlu was arrested as part of what the authorities said was an investigation into supporters of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, whom Turkey blames for an attempted coup in 2016.
He was released into house arrest in April, but has accused authorities of continuing to deny him access to needed medical treatment, despite his life-threatening condition.
Prior to his arrest, Ibadoghlu lived and worked in London, where he was a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics. He maintains that he has no connection to Gülen and that his arrest and detention are politically motivated and a form of retribution for his activism.
Within 30 days of its enactment, the legislation would also compel US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to ‘submit a report detailing the status of Ibadoghlu’s detention, US diplomatic efforts to secure his release, and any attempts by Azerbaijan to circumvent export restrictions through 3rd-party entities’.
Additionally, the draft legislation contained punitive measures if any ‘foreign company, financial institution, or government is found to have facilitated the export of GE90-110B1L or GE90-115B engine parts to Azerbaijan’.
The sanctions could include the ‘blocking of US financial transactions involving the violating entity [and the] revocation of US export privileges for the violating entity’.
There has been no official confirmation of the proposed legislation, and it has yet to be formally introduced in Congress.
Nate joined OC Media as an editor after a year at The Kyiv Independent, where he covered Ukraine, Russia, and the South Caucasus. He has a background in grant writing and reporting on post-Soviet geopolitics, with a focus on conflict-sensitive journalism and human rights.
Detained economist Gubad Ibadoghlu’s family say that doctors in Azerbaijan have refused to treat his aortic aneurysm, despite him needing an emergency surgery.
Ibadoghlu, who is under house arrest, has been unable to leave the country to receive treatment abroad. His family also claim that ‘many’ doctors have refused to treat him or to provide him with medication in Azerbaijan.
His daughter, Zhala Bayramova, told OC Media that Ibadoghlu suffers from a serious aortic aneurysm, and has expe
Detained economist Fazil Gasimov, an associate of economist Gubad Ibadoghlu’s, has said that he was threatened with sexual harrassment and subjected to torture and inhumane treatment.
Gasimov was detained in Turkey and extradited to Azerbaijan as part of the case against economist Gubad Ibadoghlu in August.
Ibadoghlu, a prominent government critic and anti-corruption campaigner, was arrested on 23 July 2023 on charges of production, acquisition, or sale of counterfeit money or securities com
Imprisoned Azerbaijani economist and political activist Gubad Ibadoghlu has been released to house arrest, as his health has reportedly continued to deteriorate.
According to pro-government news agency APA, the Narimanov District Court took the decision on Monday afternoon.
Ibadoghlu is a prominent government critic and anti-corruption campaigner and is a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics.
Ibadoghlu suffers from a number of serious health issues, including diabetes a
The lawyer and family of the imprisoned opposition figure Gubad Ibadoghlu have accused the authorities of withholding treatment to Ibadoghlu and warned that he could fall into a coma.
Ibadoghlu was arrested in July 2023 on charges of printing, acquiring, or selling counterfeit money and supporting religious extremism.
[Listen on the Caucasus Digest: Podcast | The arrest of Gubad Ibadoghlu]
On Monday, his lawyer, Zibeyda Sadigova, stated that Ibadoghlu was being denied treatment despite suf
