Human Rights Watch on Friday sentenced Georgian authorities for expelling Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov to Azerbaijan, placing him at credible risk of politically motivated persecution and ill-treatment.
“Georgian authorities sent Sadigov back to a country where he faces a real risk of persecution, without properly assessing that risk and conducting a summary trial that raises serious concerns about justice,” said Giorgi Gogia, deputy director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch.
Sadigov, founder of the Azerbaijani news agency Azel.tv, who was arrested and prosecuted in Azerbaijan, did so allegedly lived in Georgia since 2023 and spent over seven months in extradition detention after his arrest by Georgian authorities on August 4, 2024. After his release, Sadigov took part in several protests in the Georgian capital Tbilisi.
The Social Justice Center, a Georgian human rights group, initially reported Sadigov’s arrest and represented him in court. According to Sadigov’s lawyer, the arrest came a few days after Azerbaijani authorities abruptly decided on April 1 to drop the criminal case against Sadigov and informed the Tbilisi City Court of the decision. She added that shortly afterwards, on April 3, just a day before his arrest, the court lifted the bail and movement restrictions previously imposed on him.
Sadigov’s lawyer accused The judge did not abide by the binding decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The judge reportedly did not take into account the fact that Sadigov’s wife and children have political asylum in Europe and refused to consider less restrictive alternatives such as voluntary departure or applying for asylum in a third country. She described the deportation as “planned and organized in advance by two authoritarian regimes.”
On April 5, the Interior Ministry of Georgia announced issued a statement accusing Sadigov of “insulting a police officer on social media” under Article 173 Administrative Offenses Act. The statement attempted to justify the expulsion with Sadigov’s alleged involvement in several administrative offenses and unspecified “security concerns” raised by Azerbaijani counterparts. The ministry claimed that the European Court of Justice’s interim measure only applies to extradition in the context of a criminal case that Azerbaijan has dropped.
However, Sadigov’s lawyer argued that interim measures remain binding and in force unless the ECtHR itself overturns them. Both Azerbaijan and Georgia are parties to the European Convention on Human Rights and must respect the Court’s decisions.
On January 14, 2025, the ECtHR issued a provisional interim measureaccording to Rule 39 of the Rules of Courtin which the Georgian government was ordered not to carry out the extradition of Sadigov to the Republic of Azerbaijan until the expiration of seven days Judgment of the Court of Appeal.
