Nathan Reynoso On the 250th day of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu’s imprisonment, the academic community sent a letter to Secretary Blinken, urging him to take action for Gubad’s release and access to proper to medical care. The full text of the letter and a pdf copy are provided below.
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29 March 2024
Mr. Antony Blinken
US Secretary State
Dear Secretary Blinken
We the undersigned faculty members at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill write to you to protest the Azerbaijani government’s inhumane detention of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu. This day marks the 250th day that Dr. Ibadoghlu, a distinguished economist, colleague and past visitor to each of our universities, has been held in government detention without visits from the International Red Cross, with life threatening denial of health care and with a continually postponed hearing in court of the charges brought against him. We call on all governments and international organizations to recognize this violation of human rights and to press the Azerbaijani government to release Dr. Ibadoghlu from detention, provide adequate health care and begin a transparent and fair court hearing of the charges filed by the government.
We each have different memories of Gubad Ibadoghlu when he taught classes, provided public lectures, and did research on our campuses. We know him to be a principled man with the goal that the revenues from Azerbaijani crude-oil sales be spent or invested in a transparent manner for the welfare of all people of Azerbaijan. We praise him for his work and we lament the suffering to which he has been subjected.
We have called upon the Azerbaijani government repeatedly to end this detention, but to no avail. On this day, so long after he was first forcibly separated from his family, we call on our national governments and the United Nations agencies to speak out for Dr. Ibadoghlu’s human rights.
In solidarity with a fine scholar and citizen,
Patrick Conway
Professor of Economics
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Charles Becker
Research Professor of Economics
Duke University
On behalf of the 20 faculty members at UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University listed below.
Signatories from Duke University and the University of North Carolina in Support of Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu
Edna Andrews
Professor of Linguistics & Cultural Anthropology
Nancy & Jeffrey Marcus Professor
Chair, Linguistics Program
Duke University
Charles M. Becker
Research Professor of Economics
Duke University
Chad C. Bryant
Professor of History
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A. Craig Burnside
Mary Grace Wilson Distinguished Professor of Economics
Duke University
Bruce Caldwell
Research Professor of Economics
Duke University
Patrick Conway
Professor of Economics
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Jeffrey DeSimone
Professor of the Practice of Economics
Duke University
Robert Jenkins
Teaching Professor of Political Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Timur Kuran
Professor of Economics and Political Science
Gorter Family Professor of Islamic Studies
Duke University
Michael C. Munger
Professor of Political Science
Duke University
Thomas J. Nechyba
Professor of Economics
Duke University
Michael Newcity, J.D.
Duke University
Graeme Robertson
Professor of Political Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Steven Rosefielde
Professor of Economics
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Nelson B. Valente de Sa
Assistant Professor of the Practice of Economics
Duke University
Eren Tasar
Associate Professor of History
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Edward Tower
Professor of Economics Emeritus
Duke University
Milada Vachudova
Professor of Political Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Erika Weinthal
Professor of Environmental Policy and Public Policy
Duke University
Pengpeng Xiao
Assistant Professor of Economics
Duke University 29