Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadigov released from prison
Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov released
Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadigov has been released from prison. According to the Centre for Social Justice, on 16 April the Tbilisi City Court granted the prosecutor’s request and replaced Sadigov’s extradition-related pre-trial detention with release on bail.
The Centre noted that Sadigov’s detention term was set to expire on 3 May, prompting the prosecution to file for a change in the measure of restraint.
Sadigov was arrested in Azerbaijan in May 2020 on extortion charges and later sentenced to seven years in prison, which was later reduced to four years by the Supreme Court. After serving two years, he was released under an amnesty. In 2023, he moved to Georgia, where he was detained in August 2024 following an extradition request from Azerbaijan. In protest, Sadigov went on a hunger strike.
On 28 February 2025, the European Court of Human Rights ruled on Sadigov’s case and prohibited his extradition to Azerbaijan “until the substance of his case is determined by the Strasbourg court.”
Sadigov ended his 161-day hunger strike following the ECHR decision.
After his release, Afghan Sadigov thanked Georgian journalists for actively covering his detention and said that he had been arrested in Georgia “on the orders of dictator Aliyev, by the hands of [Georgian Prime Minister – JAMnews] Kobakhidze, who is on the path to dictatorship.”
He also expressed gratitude to international organisations, Georgian NGOs and embassies for their support:
“First and foremost, I salute the courageous Georgian journalists. Dictator Kobakhidze and gangster Ivanishvili were unlucky to have media representatives like you in Georgia.
I’m also grateful that you consistently kept news related to me on the public agenda and in the spotlight.
I would also like to extend my deepest thanks to my human rights defenders, lawyers, and the Centre for Social Justice. Despite their youth, they are highly professional.
If anyone in Georgia is facing problems caused by injustice, the Centre for Social Justice will help them resolve it…
The list of people and organisations I am indebted to could go on endlessly.”
