COP29 hosts accused of detaining climate defenders
The Azerbaijani government is using COP29 to crack down on environmental activists and other political opponents, according to human rights groups.
This is the third year in a row a country hosting the climate summit has been accused of oppression and curtailing the legal right to protest.
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For the first time since the early 2000s the number of political prisoners - including journalists, environmental activists and political opponents - has reached more than 300, according to The Union "For Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan.
Gubad Ibadoglu, a 53-year old professor at London university LSE, researches Azerbaijan's oil and gas sectors and environmental issues but in summer 2023 he was arrested on charges of fraud.
More than a year later he remains under house arrest. Human Rights Watch called the charges dubious and Gubad Ibadoglu's daughter has appealed to UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for help in getting her father released.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq52l95dd3vo