Judge Arsen Kalatozishvili has extended the extradition detention of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov, who was detained in Tbilisi, by three months. The journalist, weakened by a 42-day hunger strike, attended the trial in a wheelchair. Lawyers requested Sadygov’s release from custody in exchange for a 10,000 GEL bail or the guarantees of Georgian journalists, but the judge denied the petition.
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Keti Chutlashvili, a lawyer for the for Social Justice Center, justified her motion to change the journalist’s preventive measure by noting that Sadygov’s passport has been confiscated, he lives in Georgia with his wife and two young children, and he has applied for asylum with Georgian authorities. She emphasized that his health, weakened by the hunger strike, requires long-term rehabilitation. Additionally, she argued that the criminal case initiated against Sadygov in Azerbaijan is "absurd and unsubstantiated."
“He is accused of extorting a deputy mayor in a specific administrative unit. As per the case materials, Afgan Sadygov allegedly blackmailed the official with a video showing the deputy mayor cutting a cake featuring an eight-pointed star and promoting the 'thieves' world.' This video, uploaded to YouTube on July 31, 2023, is still being sought today. Afgan Sadygov, however, is accused of blackmailing the mayor in August 2023, which is illogical - if the video was made public, blackmailing him with it would be impossible. Furthermore, it remains unclear on what grounds he was blackmailing, what material he supposedly had, or whether he even had any communication with these individuals,” Keti Chutlashvili told Georgian News.
According to the lawyer, there is reason to believe that Azerbaijan’s extradition request is not intended to uphold criminal law but rather to punish Afgan Sadygov.
“A case was filed against him in Azerbaijan in May 2024, and the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office received an extradition request on July 24. When Afgan attempted to leave Georgia on July 18, no documentation indicating a case had been initiated against him had yet been delivered to Georgia. Nevertheless, he was not allowed to leave Tbilisi airport and was told that Azerbaijan was the only country he could go to.
We have evidence that this individual is a victim of persecution in Azerbaijan, supported by statements from numerous international organizations. His health condition is now very severe, which is also a significant factor in his request for release,” the lawyer stated, adding that she intends to appeal the City Court’s decision.
Sevinch Sadygova believes that Georgian authorities are punishing her husband on orders from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
"Your state has received an order. What kind of court is this? They have ignored all the facts, putting a dying man on trial without any regard for the law. He is innocent, but he is being punished on Aliyev’s orders. I will fight to the end, but he is dying - he’s already in a wheelchair. We have been fighting for three months now. The court in Azerbaijan operates by order, and it’s the same here. What am I supposed to do?!" said Sevinch Sadygova.
At the trial, Georgian journalists Gela Mtivlishvili, Mariam Nikuradze, and Nino Kakhishvili expressed their willingness to stand as sureties for Afgan Sadygov, assuming responsibility for ensuring he would not leave the country.
Afgan Sadygov, who has been in Georgia with his wife and two young daughters since December last year, was arrested in Tbilisi on August 3. Due to his deteriorating health, he is currently being held in a prison medical facility.
