Latest news in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, summary. Live

● Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov, who was detained in Tbilisi on the night of April 4 and extradited to Azerbaijan at Baku’s request, has made his first comments. He confirmed that at the “Red Bridge” checkpoint, Georgian law enforcement officers handed him over to Azerbaijan’s migration service. Sadygov says his deportation was completely illegal and contradicts the ruling of the Strasbourg Court.

Afgan Sadygov is accused in Azerbaijan of extortion. He категорically denies the charges and says he is being persecuted for criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities. In 2020, he was arrested in Baku and sentenced to seven years in prison, but was released under an amnesty in 2022. After that, he moved to Tbilisi with his family. Azerbaijan had been seeking his extradition since 2024, and in that same year he was held in detention for some time. In February 2025, the European Court of Human Rights issued a ruling in his case, prohibiting his extradition to Azerbaijan “until the merits of his case have been determined by the Strasbourg Court.”

● Tamta Mikeladze, director of the Social Justice Center and a human rights defender, said on social media that she had spoken with Afgan Sadygov by phone. She reported that after questioning, he was allowed to stay at a relative’s home. According to her, he “feels physically fine, despite the fact that his detention in Tbilisi was carried out aggressively.” “Sadygov may face new charges in a few weeks or months, and an entirely new case may be fabricated against him, regardless of the current proceedings,” Tamta Mikeladze said. More details about Sadygov’s case can be found here.

● A court has found three minors guilty in the case of teacher Gigi Avaliani, who died as a result of injuries inflicted during an assault. Aleksandre Gabashvili, Giorgi Rikadze, and Demetre Chikovani have been convicted. The final sentence will be determined at the next hearing on April 8. More details about this tragedy can be found here.

● Protests by animal rights activists continue, with demonstrators demanding changes to the program for managing the population of stray animals and calling for greater transparency. The program, implemented since the end of February, предусматривает the capture of stray dogs, their transfer to municipal shelters, registration, rabies vaccination, and sterilization or castration. After that, the animals are supposed to be returned to their so-called natural habitat. However, according to activists, some dogs “disappear” after being captured, raising concerns that they may be euthanized. The authorities reject these accusations, calling them political speculation. At the latest protest outside the government building over the weekend, dozens of people gathered with photos of missing dogs—mostly those that lived in residential courtyards and were informally cared for by local residents. Protesters are demanding that the mandatory return of animals to their original locations be enshrined in law, that unnecessary mass transfers to shelters be abandoned, and that full transparency be ensured, including photo and video documentation of the animals’ movements.

● The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is “once again bringing to Russia’s attention that issues related to Azerbaijan’s sovereignty cannot be the subject of public disputes with Armenia.” The statement came in response to a recent meeting in Moscow where Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan “accused” each other of which country first recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. Later, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also discussed the issue with journalists in a similar context, debating who was first—Russia or Armenia—to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. “No country, including the Russian Federation, has ever questioned the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including the Karabakh region. The fact that Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan is based not on the decision of any state, but on history, international law, and justice. This was reaffirmed and definitively закреплено by the results of the 44-day war in 2020 and the anti-terrorist operation in 2023,” the Foreign Ministry said. It was noted that through diplomatic channels, all branches of the Russian government have been informed of Baku’s position regarding the unacceptability of using the Karabakh issue in political speculation.

● Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is planning to visit Georgia today, according to the Georgian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, citing a source. The visit has not been officially announced, but Azerbaijani flags have been put up in central Tbilisi.

● By a court decision in Georgia, Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov has been extradited to Baku, where he is charged with extortion. He категорically denies the charges and says he is being persecuted for criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities. In 2020, he was arrested in Baku and sentenced to seven years in prison, but was released under an amnesty in 2022. After that, he moved to Tbilisi with his family. Azerbaijan had been seeking his extradition since 2024, and in this connection he was held in detention for some time. In February 2025, the European Court of Human Rights issued a ruling in Sadygov’s case, prohibiting his extradition to Azerbaijan “until the merits of his case have been determined by the Strasbourg Court.” Tamta Mikeladze, head of the Georgian Social Justice Center, said on social media that after Sadygov was taken to Baku, he was questioned and then allowed to stay at a relative’s home. Mikeladze wrote on Facebook: “Sadygov may face new charges in a few weeks or months, and an entirely new case may be fabricated against him, regardless of the current proceedings.” More on the Sadygov’s case here.

● The Russian Embassy marked the 34th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan. It stated that more than 200 agreements have been signed between the two countries. An important milestone in bilateral relations was identified as the signing of the Declaration on Allied Interaction in Moscow on February 22, 2022. “Russia consistently ranks among Azerbaijan’s top three trading partners, while holding first place in terms of exports of Azerbaijan’s non-oil products. Sharing a common border, our countries are working to expand the International North–South Transport Corridor,” the statement said.

● The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) has again urged the public to strictly observe safety rules amid heavy rains and the risk of mudflows and avalanches in various regions of the country. Meteorologists forecast unstable weather until April 7. The MES requires residents to be prepared to immediately move to higher ground in case of danger and to strictly follow rescuers’ instructions. Work is ongoing to deal with the последствия of the intense rainfall, including pumping out water and evacuating affected settlements.

● A snow avalanche has descended on a section of the Toganaly–Kalbajar–Istisu highway passing through the Murovdag area. The snow depth on the road reached 10–15 meters. Traffic has been restricted, and clearing operations are underway.

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 30 March-3 April, 2026