Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarli to arrive in Tbilisi today

Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Mukhtarli will arrive in Tbilisi today, October 9.

As InterPressNews was informed by the Rights from Georgia organization, Mukhtarli, who accuses the Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities of kidnapping him from Tbilisi in May 2017 and illegally depriving him of his liberty, plans to testify before the Georgian Prosecutor's Office. He will also make a statement for the media and will assess the progress made in the ongoing investigation.

The Prosecutor's Office of Georgia is investigating Mukhtarli's case under the first part of Article 143 of the Criminal Code (illegal deprivation of liberty). To date, no one has been found guilty in the case and no one has been held criminally liable.

The interests of Afghan Mukhtarli are defended in the European Court of Human Rights by Tbilisi Human Rights House and lawyer Archil Chopikashvili.

Azerbaijani authorities released Afghan Mukhtarli on March 17, 2020, after three years in prison. Mukhtarli was serving a prison sentence in Azerbaijan for illegally crossing the border, smuggling large amounts of foreign money and resisting law enforcement officers.

Afghan Mukhtarli will arrive at Tbilisi International Airport on October 9 at 18:00 and will be met by his lawyer, Archil Chopikashvili.