Imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov, jailed on charges of aggravated assault, faces additional time in prison on yet unknown charges.
Caucasian Knotquoted Sadigov’s wife, as saying her husband called to inform her that new charges have been brought against him, although he did not yet know what he is being charged with.
‘We are shocked[…] They probably want to keep him in jail’, Sevinj Sadigova said. It’s only three months until Sadigov completes his term.
A court in Jalilabad District, where Sadigov worked, sentenced him to two and a half years in prison in January 2017. In November, the Supreme Court reduced his sentence to a year and a half.
Sadigov, the founder and editor of regional news-site Azel.tv, was detained in November 2016 charged with attacking a woman in August. He claimed the case was a politically motivated, and that he was being persecuted for his professional activities.
According to international rights group the Committee to Protect Journalists, Sadygov reported on allegations of corruption in the local administration for Azel, and managed the Facebook page Our Jalilabad, on which he often criticised local authorities.
Reporters Without Borders condemned Azerbaijani authorities for imprisoning Sadigov. They said that ‘obvious inconsistencies in the prosecution case were ignored’, and four prosecution witnesses were all employees of the local administration. A request to review CCTV footage was also rejected.
Azerbaijani authorities have faced criticism for cracking down on dissenting voices in both media and civil society. In their Freedom of the Press 2017 report, American rights group Freedom House wrote that media in the country is ‘not free’. It said that the government ‘maintained a tight grip over the country’s information landscape and continued to punish those who express criticism or dissent’.
Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, who was abducted in Georgia last May, was sentenced on 12 January to 6 years in prison, drawing international condemnation.
The Tbilisi City Court ruled on Thursday to approve the extradition of Afgan Sadigov, an Azerbaijani journalist who has been in custody in Gldani prison in Tbilisi since 4 August.
Sadigov’s lawyers will still have seven days to appeal the decision, and the case may be brought before the Supreme Court.
Should all final appeals fail, Sadigov will be extradited back to Azerbaijan, where he was arrested several times on charges he refuted and said were politically motivated. His wife has sa
Detained Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov has been transferred to a prison hospital in Georgia on his 17th day of hunger strike.
Sadigov has been in extradition custody in Gldani prison in Tbilisi since 4 August.
Sadigova told Netgazeti on Tuesday that she was informed about her husband’s transfer to the hospital late Monday night.
‘I asked [to] talk to my husband, so I could hear his voice’, she said, adding that she was denied permission. ‘They called me late at night, but I don’
A demonstration was held in front of the Government Chancellery of Georgia in support of Afgan Sadigov, an Azerbaijani journalist who has been detained in Georgia while awaiting a court decision regarding extradition to Azerbaijan.
On Tuesday, around two dozen local journalists and activists, together with Afgan Sadigov’s wife and two children, gathered to show solidarity and demand Sadigov’s release.
Sadigov, the head of the Azerbaijani news outlet and YouTube channel Azel.TV, was originall
Georgian authorities have detained Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov and have scheduled a hearing for his extradition.
Sadigov, the head of the independent Azerbaijani news outlet and YouTube channel Azel.TV, was detained on Saturday, less than a month after he was barred from leaving Georgia unless he travels to Azerbaijan.
Sadigov had been living in Georgia with his family since December 2023.
[Read more: Azerbaijani journalist ‘barred from leaving Georgia’]
His wife, Sevinj Sadig
Imprisoned Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov, jailed on charges of aggravated assault, faces additional time in prison on yet unknown charges.
