Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).
The US House of Representatives signed a resolution calling on Baku to release Gubad Ibadoglu, a scientist and economist, chairman of the Movement for Democracy and Prosperity of Azerbaijan party.
According to the resolution, Ibadoglu and his wife were detained on July 23, 2023 and were subjected to physical pressure from the police. The politician is unfairly accused of numerous criminal acts and is being held in a Baku prison in extremely poor conditions. The document emphasizes the need for his immediate release. The authors also condemned the practice of illegal detentions and suppression of freedom in Azerbaijan.
Gubad Ibadoglu was arrested on charges of selling counterfeit money, as well as under the article of distributing extremist materials. The accused rejects the investigators' arguments.
The arrest caused a wide resonance in the world. Human rights activists believe that the scientist is being persecuted for political reasons.