Elena Sorokina On September 12, 2024, we celebrate the birthday of our dear friend and colleague Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu—the second birthday Gubad spends detained in Azerbaijan, separated from his family, deprived of adequate medical care, and facing spurious charges. Crude Accountability Executive Director Kate Watters reflects on Gubad’s impressive work and personal legacy.
I remember the very first time that I met Gubad Ibadoghlu. It was at an EBRD annual meeting when we were working on holding oil and gas companies accountable for their activities. I remember being impressed that Gubad was approaching the issue from an economics perspective that differed from how Crude Accountability had approached it. It was like we had one part of the picture, and he had the other. Yet here we were, working towards a common goal.
One of the first things that struck me when I met him was his kindness. He is open, gentle, and listens. He finds a way to engage with many different people, which is truly a gift.
The fact that his children are remarkable also speaks to who he is: they have done all of this work over the past year in defense of their remarkable dad. That in itself is a testimony of who he is as a person, as a father, and as a husband,
At the same time, he is an incredible scholar. The driving question behind his research has always been: Why don’t the Azerbaijani people benefit from massive revenues from oil and gas? Why doesn’t the ordinary Azerbaijani citizen see the rewards of the hydrocarbon sector? Where is that money going? He looked at poverty, military spending, and homelessness in Azerbaijan and looked at the country’s revenues from oil and gas and asked, “Where’s this going?”
The economic analysis that Gubad Ibadoghlu brought demonstrates significant gaps in transparency in the oil and gas sector and Azerbaijan’s lack of accountability. That lack of transparency in Azerbaijan is emblematic of transparency and accountability in the extractive sector worldwide. People like Gubad, who shine a light on it and have the bravery and integrity to do this work, are the ones who pay the price.
Gubad was beaten, arrested, charged with spurious charges, and held in detention for months without access to adequate medical care, in inhumane and unsanitary conditions, with only limited access to his lawyer.
He is now under house arrest, still not allowed access to the medical treatment that he desperately needs. The charges against him have not been dropped. He’s not allowed to work. He’s not allowed to leave the country. He’s not allowed to move freely. He has been separated from his family.
Gubad should be immediately and unconditionally released. The charges against him should be dropped, as they should be dropped against the other political prisoners in Azerbaijan. He should be reunited with his family, receive the medical treatment he needs, and be able to continue the critical work that he does.
In the lead-up to COP, it is really important for the international community to continue to shine a spotlight on Gubad’s case and on the cases of the other political prisoners in Azerbaijan.