The general courts of Georgia on Thursday declined to uphold a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights over Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov, keeping him in extradition detention, Keti Chutlashvili, the Social Justice Centre representative, said.
Chutlashvili explained that the European Court of Human Rights issued a temporary measure on February 27, suspending the extradition procedure for Sadygov until it issued a final ruling in the case, which may take years.
However, Georgian courts chose not to follow this decision. The Tbilisi City Court dismissed the European Court’s interim measure without holding an oral hearing and ruled that the request from the Social Justice Centre for Sadygov’s release was inadmissible.
“The Tbilisi City Court declared the petition inadmissible without an oral hearing and left Afgan Sadygov in custody. According to the judge, the adoption of an interim measure by the European Court does not constitute a basis for changing the extradition detention of a person subject to extradition,” said Chutlashvili. Despite appealing the decision, the court again declared their complaint inadmissible.
The Social Justice Centre claimed that the court’s decision was unjustified and contradicted both national and international law.
As for Sadygov’s health, Chutlashvili confirmed that after ending his hunger strike, he began eating again and is showing signs of improvement.
Sadygov was arrested in Georgia on August 3, 2023, under allegations of extortion linked to an ongoing investigation in Azerbaijan.
