Son's plea for corruption activist held over 'trumped up charges'

A STUDENT has asked David Cameron to help secure the release of his anti-corruption campaigner father, who is being held in Azerbaijan on allegedly trumped up charges.

- Tara Fair

Ibad Bayramov, 23, says he lost all sense of time or place when his father was arrested last year.

Dozens of campaigners and organisations have echoed Ibad's concern and have written to the Foreign Secretary urging action.

Dr Gubad Ibadoghlu is a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and a renowned Azerbaijani anti-corruption activist.

He has been imprisoned since July 23 on what many claim are politically motivated charges.

If found guilty of dealing with counterfeit money and allegedly possessing extremist material, the 52-year-old faces 17 years in prison.

His family has accused western countries of failing to press for his release because of capital Baku's role supplying energy to Europe as it weans itself off Russian supplies.