Tbilisi City Court rejects asylum request for Azerbaijani journalist Aghan Sadigov

The Tbilisi City Court rejected the asylum request of Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadigov, who is currently in extradition detention in Georgia. The decision was made on November 15, Tamta Mikeladze, a lawyer from the Social Justice Center reports.

In a statement, Mikeladze criticized the expedited decision-making process, calling it an act of complicity in handing Sadigov over to Azerbaijani authorities.

“The Tbilisi City Court rushed the decision and rejected our appeal against the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Migration Department, which had unjustifiably denied Afghan Sadigov international protection. By doing so, the court blindly and shamelessly claims that Sadigov faces no risks in Azerbaijan—a country where he has already been unlawfully imprisoned twice,” Mikeladze said.

She also noted that Georgian prosecutors are accelerating their efforts to pursue Sadigov’s extradition, further implicating Georgian institutions in his potential persecution.

Sadigov, editor-in-chief of the Azerbaijani media outlet Azel.Tv, was arrested in Tbilisi on August 3, 2024. He had arrived in Georgia in December 2023 and reportedly attempted to leave the country two weeks before his arrest but was prevented from doing so at the airport.
On August 4, the Tbilisi City Court placed Sadigov in a three-month extradition detention. His wife, Sevinch Sadigova, has publicly stated that her husband is being targeted for his critical stance against the Azerbaijani government. She expressed grave concern that if extradited to Azerbaijan, his life might be endangered.