Azerbaijan has released to house arrest a jailed economist and political activist Gubad Ibadoglu after almost a year in prison. A court in Nariman District in the capital Baku released Ibadoglu on Monday due to his deteriorating health issues, including diabetes and a heart condition. Ibadoghlu is known for his criticism of the government. He is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics.

Ibadoglu was arrested in July 2023 and faced charges under Criminal code’s Article 204.3.1 (the production, acquisition or sale of counterfeit money or securities is committed by an organized group). He was placed in a pretrial detention for a period of 3 months and 26 days by court decision. His detention was part of an investigation into supporters of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gülen, accused by Turkey of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016. Later, a new charge was brought against him under the Criminal code’s Article 167-3.1 (preparation, storage or distribution of religious extremist materials).

The charges against Ibadoghlu have been widely criticized by local and international human rights organizations, with Amnesty International asserting that he was detained on fabricated charges as retaliation for his government criticism.

Since 2014, Ibadoghlu has mainly lived in exile after the government froze his accounts and those of the Economic Research Centre, an NGO he founded.