Judge Liela Poladishvili of the Tbilisi City Court upheld the decision by the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs to deny international protection to Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov.
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The Social Justice Center appealed the department's decision in court on September 16.
"The Tbilisi City Court hastily made its decision and rejected our claim. By doing so, the court has become complicit in the crime of handing over Afgan Sadygov to Aliyev. It blindly and shamelessly asserts that this individual faces no risks in Azerbaijan - a person who has already been illegally arrested twice in Baku. The prosecutor's office is also expediting its request to the court for extradition. Every link in the chain is complicit in the destruction of this family and in fulfilling Aliyev's 'zakaz' (order)," said Tamta Mikeladze, director of the equality policy program at the organization.
Afgan Sadygov, a critic of the Azerbaijani government and editor-in-chief of the online publication Azel.Tv, was arrested in Tbilisi on August 3 and subsequently placed in extradition detention. Following his arrest, Sadigov applied to Georgia for international protection. However, the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs denied his request, arguing that his rights were not being violated in Azerbaijan.
As per the department's assessment, it is true that Afgan Sadygov is being prosecuted in Azerbaijan. However, this does not qualify as "persecution for political reasons" under the European Convention on Human Rights. Additionally, the department maintains that there is no risk of discriminatory criminal prosecution or disproportionate punishment against Sadygov in Azerbaijan. It concluded that no individual circumstances in the case suggest a risk of torture, inhumane, or degrading treatment if he were arrested and detained in Azerbaijan.
The lawyers of the Social Justice Center argue that the department's refusal is baseless and contradicts the factual circumstances of the case. They assert that Afgan Sadygov has been subjected to years of persecution by Azerbaijani authorities due to his professional activities. Human rights defenders warn that if Sadygov is extradited to Azerbaijan, he will again face the risk of political persecution, torture, or inhumane treatment.
On November 1, the court extended Sadygov's extradition detention by another three months. The journalist has been on a hunger strike for 56 days in protest and is currently held in a prison medical facility. His health condition is reported to be serious.
