Azerbaijani journalist released from Georgian detention after bail payment

Afgan Sadigov, an Azerbaijani journalist held in extradition custody in Georgia, has been released after posting a bail of 5,000 GEL, according to the Social Justice Center, a local NGO that represented his legal interests.

Sadigov was arrested in Tbilisi on August 3, 2024, following a request from Azerbaijani authorities. He had entered Georgia in December 2023 and was preparing to leave the country when he was stopped at the airport. Shortly after, Tbilisi City Court placed him in a three-month extradition detention. His wife and rights groups claimed the extradition request was politically motivated and that Sadigov faced serious risks, including possible death, if returned to Azerbaijan.

Under Georgian law, extradition detention cannot exceed nine months. With that deadline approaching on May 3, 2025, the Prosecutor’s Office requested a change in the preventive measure, leading to his release. Sadigov previously endured a 161-day hunger strike in a Georgian prison and had staged a 242-day hunger strike during a prior imprisonment in Azerbaijan. He ended his hunger strike in Georgia after the European Court of Human Rights imposed a temporary measure prohibiting his extradition.