Georgia: we demand the release of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov
Georgian authorities should immediately release Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov and stop his extradition to Azerbaijan, said today the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and its affiliate in Georgia, the Independent Association of Georgian Journalists (IAGJ).
On Saturday 3 August, Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov, editor-in-chief of AzelTV news website, known for his reporting on embezzlement of public funds in Azerbaijan, was arrested by Georgian criminal police as he was leaving his home in Tbilisi with his wife and children. Georgia made the arrest in response to an extradition request from the Azerbaijani authorities, following vague accusations of threats and extortion.
On 5 August, the journalist was sentenced to two months of pre-extradition detention by the decision of Judge Ketevan Jachvadze of the Tbilisi City Court.
The Azerbaijani journalist moved with his family to Georgia seven months ago to escape persecution by the authorities in his own country, where he has been arrested several times on various pretexts (hooliganism, defamation, non-subordination to the police, etc.). On 3 November 2020, a court in Azerbaijan sentenced him to seven years in prison. The Court of Appeal reduced the sentence to six years, and the Supreme Court reduced it to four years. He was released after being detained for 2 years and 15 days in prison with the amnesty decree signed by President Ilham Aliyev on 27 May 2022. He was on hunger strike for 242 days in prison.
On 17 July, Afgan Sadygov and his family were denied permission to leave Tbilisi’s international airport for Turkey. He was told by Georgian border control officials that he could only fly to Azerbaijan.
“We call on the Georgian authorities to refrain from being complicit in the Azerbaijani political trials, which have been fabricated on the basis of false evidence,” said EFJ President Maja Sever. “This wave of repression has already put 23 journalists behind bars. Azerbaijan has become one of the most repressive states in Europe, after Russia and Belarus. The EFJ joins Amnesty International in calling on Georgia to stop the extradition of Afgan Sadygov”.
“The detention of an Azeri journalist in Georgia is alarming for all media workers in the country,” added Zviad Pochkhua, IAGJ President. “It may indicate the new aggressive policy of Georgian authorities, which recently introduced authoritarian laws. We can on the government to release immediately Afgan Sadygov”.
