Afgan Sadigov: The longer the Georgian Government keeps me here, the more they’ll regret it – For now, I’m staying in Georgia and intend to speak out against the local dictatorship too

"The Azerbaijani authorities should know that they may arrest or kill someone, but others will always rise in their place. There are currently 400 political prisoners in Azerbaijan, and the brutality of the regime has reached its peak," Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov said at a press conference following his release from prison.

He expressed gratitude to the individuals and countries that supported him during his imprisonment.

"I want to thank the Georgian media for always putting issues related to me on the agenda. I’m also grateful to my lawyers and international partners. As you know, a few years ago, Huseyn Bakikhanov was assassinated in Georgia in a contract killing. Bayram Mammadov was also killed. But the Azerbaijani government must know that even if they arrest or kill someone, others will inevitably emerge. There are currently 400 political prisoners in Azerbaijan, and the regime’s cruelty is at its peak," he stated.

Sadigov also noted that political pressure was exerted on his family members.

"Every time I was arrested in Azerbaijan, they blackmailed my family and threatened to kill my young children. In every such instance, I appealed to [President] Aliyev, telling him that this is my struggle and to leave my family alone. Unfortunately, dictators never change," he said.

The Azerbaijani journalist also spoke during the press conference about the partnership and similarities between the Georgian and Azerbaijani governments, stating that the Georgian authorities should listen to their people.

"They named their party 'Georgian Dream,' but this is not the dream of the Georgian people. Living in a dictatorship is not their dream. I call on the Georgian government to step back from the path they are currently on. There’s no need to follow the instructions of either Putin or Erdoğan. The right path is to love and serve your people. I’ve conducted many investigative reports and gathered a great deal of evidence and material about Ilham Aliyev’s inner circle, which I later made public. Because of this, I’ve been a political prisoner twice. The longer the Georgian government keeps me here, the more they’ll regret it. Of course, there are risks here. For now, I am staying in Georgia, and I intend to speak out against the dictatorship here as well," Sadigov said.

As for the court imposing bail on him, Sadigov stated that he refuses to pay it.

"I do not agree with the bail and do not intend to pay it. I believe both Aliyev and [Georgian PM] Kobakhidze have bankrupted their countries' budgets, and I am not going to contribute to that by paying this bail," he noted.