Calls to free Azerbaijani academic as climate summit kicks off

Rights groups are calling for the release of an academic who was detained in Azerbaijan after criticising the government’s fossil fuel policies, as the country hosts the COP29 climate conference.

Gubad Ibadoghlu, a senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, was detained by authorities on a return visit to the country in July 2023.

As world leaders meet in Baku for the United Nations climate summit, Amnesty International has called on authorities to release the Azerbaijani national, who has been in custody for more than a year on what the human rights organisation describes as “fabricated charges”.

“His detention is an apparent retaliation for his political and civic activities,” the group said in a statement.

Dr Ibadoghlu has previously published work critical of the Azerbaijani government’s oil and gas policies and detailing corruption in the sector.

British MPs have called on the Westminster government to raise Dr Ibadoghlu’s case at the summit, noting his worsening health conditions, including diabetes and hypertension.

Responding to concerns in Parliament in October, a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said David Lammy, the foreign secretary, had raised the case with the Azerbaijani foreign minister and had urged the government to allow Dr Ibadoghlu to travel overseas for medical treatment. The government has not committed to discussing the case at COP.

“We will continue to use our diplomatic channels to raise our concerns about the protection of freedoms and human rights in Azerbaijan,” the spokesperson said.

Azerbaijan was ranked among the bottom 10 per cent to 20 per cent in the 2024 Academic Freedom Index, along with countries including Afghanistan and Venezuela. According to Human Rights Watch, the government’s crackdown on “dissenting voices” has “intensified” over the past two years.

Other academics in the country also remain under detention, including the political scientist Bahruz Samadov, who was arrested in August 2024 on treason charges after he criticised the government.

Since the oil- and gas-rich country was announced as the host of this year’s COP, the Azerbaijani government has faced scrutiny for its contributions to climate change, with plans to expand fossil fuel production over the next decade.

Leaders have used the summit to defend their record. Addressing the conference, Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, described fossil fuels as a “gift of God”.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Zhala Bayramova, Dr Ibadoghlu’s daughter, said: “I would have expected that the UK government would not let an LSE professor – my father – who taught British citizens for two years, to be left imprisoned arbitrarily and in a life-threatening condition.”

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com