This month marks 2 years since our friend and colleague Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu was brutally arrested and detained by Azerbaijani authorities in Baku.

Dr. Ibadoghlu, a renowned Azerbaijani scholar of political economy and anti-corruption activist, is known for exposing corruption in Azerbaijan’s oil and gas industry. He is currently under house arrest in Baku and denied critical medical treatment.

In a joint statement, Crude Accountability renews its call for the government of Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Ibadoghlu and provide the medical care he desperately needs.

🔗 Read the statement.

Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the EU has looked to Azerbaijan to help replace Russian gas. However, Azerbaijan has been increasing its energy ties with Russia and aiding the country's shadow fleet.

Dr. Gubad Ibadoghlu has been following Azerbaijan's actions in his blog series on our website:

“Balancing Act: Azerbaijan’s Energy Links to Russia and the Sanctions Regime”

“Baku’s 'Gas Laundromat': A Contradiction in Brussels’ Energy Strategy?”

Also, we have recently adapted these articles into reels; check the latest uploads on our YouTube channel.

“The air was heavy with a choking, acrid stench, like smoldering rubber and burning tires.”

After returning from Kazakhstan 📍 our Research Associate reflects on her experience in a new blog entry, “Breathing Toxic Air: What I Learned at Kokzhide,” highlighting Big Oil’s exploitation of local land, health, and water resources.

Speaking with residents of Kenkiyak, they share their concern of the toxic emissions from 🔥 flares and the lack of

🚫 transparency from the government.

Read the blog, and watch on-the-ground footage our team recorded of the flares in the area.

As we approach the 📃 OSCE’s 50th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act with the Helsinki+50 Conference this week, Crude Accountability is proud to publish two policy papers addressing key climate issues in the region:

"Key Environmental Violations Committed by Russia During the Full-Scale Aggression Against Ukraine” by Yuriy Uhryn and Andrii Latsyba of Truth Hounds

“Key Climate Justice Issues from the Perspective of Central Asian Civil Society in the Context of the OSCE Region” by Murat Karypov of Bir Duino

These two reports join our ongoing series of expert recommendations for the OSCE to strengthen climate security within the Climate Justice Working Group of the Civic Solidarity Platform. 🌿

🔗 Learn more.

On July 29, Crude Accountability, along with 58 other organizations of the Civic Solidarity Platform, signed the Civil Society Manifesto on the OSCE’s 50th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act.

The manifesto calls for key appeals on: 

🔵 What states must do to fully realize the Helsinki principles and implement OSCE commitments.

🔵 What OSCE structures should do to effectively fulfill their mandates.

🔵 What civil society commits to be doing to realize the Helsinki principles in all three dimensions.

We aim for a stronger and more effective OSCE, and how we, as leaders of civil society and activists, can contribute to comprehensive security in the region.

🔗 Read the manifesto in full.

“If the people of Central Asia really want economic and social development, it is impossible without a free civil society.”

Sebastien Peyrouse, Director of the Central Asia Program at The George Washington University and Board Member of Crude Accountability, discusses his career research on the threat of authoritarian regimes in Turkmenistan and the entire Central Asia region in a recent interview with Gundogar.

In the interview, Peyrouse touches on the erosion of 👥 civil society, the violations of ⚖️ human rights, and the corruption of 🏛️ politics in Turkmenistan, while voicing the influential role of the UN and the OSCE to hold the country to account.

🔗 Read the entire interview (Russian language).

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) reporter, Nicole Sadek, received the Livingston Award 🏆 for her investigative story, “The Lost Village,” revealing the health and environmental impact of Western oil operations on the residents of Berezovka, Kazakhstan.

Crude Accountability's team was quoted in the report, having worked with the community of Berezovka to advocate for transparency about environmental and health impacts from emissions at the nearby Karachaganak oil and gas condensate field.