Lawyer Tamta Mikeladze explained the circumstances of the detention of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov.

According to Mikeladze, Sadygov was “raided at home at night,” his door was broken, and he was detained aggressively.

“Over the past few days, unexpected and serious events developed regarding Afgan Sadygov’s case. On April 1, the Azerbaijani authorities sent a letter informing the Georgian government that criminal prosecution against Afgan Sadygov had been stopped and that they were withdrawing the extradition request.

On April 2, we became aware of this. On April 3, the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office filed a petition in court to lift bail and travel restrictions against Sadygov.

We had already started the process of organizing his timely departure from the country, but this required time. You know these days were the weekend and, at the same time, Easter holidays in Europe, so organizing the process required more time.

Suddenly, on Saturday night, they raided his home, broke the door, and detained him aggressively. At first, we did not know what was happening to him. Later, we learned that the Ministry of Internal Affairs accused Sadygov over an entirely innocent post, which was allegedly offensive to the police. There is not a single offensive word in it. In fact, it poetically expresses some irony toward police repression. The suspicious mobilization by the police indicated the involvement of the State Security Service, suggesting that Sadygov posed a threat to national security. Presumably, they wanted to start the deportation process. This is exactly what happened: the court, completely ignoring the European Court’s decision - including the fact that Sadygov could have left the country voluntarily - decided to deport him immediately to Azerbaijan,” Mikeladze said.

She added that the court did not even read the European Court’s decision or attach it to the case.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs’ explanation is false, illegal, and a completely inconsistent interpretation of the European Convention - pretending that Azerbaijan’s extradition request invalidated the temporary measure. This is not correct, formally or procedurally. The court needs a formal decision to cancel the measure, which the Ministry and the Georgian court cannot provide. We saw that Sadygov was not even allowed to leave the country voluntarily. His family has political asylum in Europe, and it would have been very easy for him to join them. This process would have taken a few days, but they did not give us even one day to prepare the necessary documents and letters for the European state where he was to be transferred,” Mikeladze explained.

She said that all legal mechanisms would be used to restore justice.

“Now the main priority is ensuring Afgan Sadygov’s safety in Azerbaijan. With the help of a local lawyer, we are taking all necessary measures to protect him,” Mikeladze added.

Recall that the Ministry of Internal Affairs detained Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov administratively. According to the Ministry, he was arrested for insulting a police officer on social media. As a penalty, he was fined 2,000 GEL, deported from Georgia, and banned from entering the country for three years. According to the lawyer, the Tbilisi City Court decided to deport Sadygov to Azerbaijan at 4:00 a.m.

The investigative authority explained that Georgian officials had recently learned through official channels that the Azerbaijani Prosecutor’s Office had stopped criminal prosecution in the case, on which the European Court had issued a temporary measure. Accordingly, all extradition procedures in Georgia had been halted. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Internal Affairs states that the administrative offense committed by Sadygov, together with the fine, also implies deportation and a ban on entering the country. Consequently, Afgan Sadygov was deported to his country of origin and was prohibited from entering Georgia for three years.