HRW condemns Georgia expulsion of Azerbaijan journalist amid persecution risk – JURIST

Human Rights Watch on Friday condemned the Georgian authorities for their expulsion of Azerbaijani journalist, Afgan Sadigov, to Azerbaijan, exposing him to a credible risk of politically motivated prosecution and ill-treatment.

“Georgian authorities returned Sadigov to a country where he faces a real risk of persecution, without properly assessing that risk, and summary proceedings that raise serious fairness concerns,” said Giorgi Gogia, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Sadigov, founder of the Azerbaijani news outlet Azel.tv, who had faced arrest and prosecution in Azerbaijan, has reportedly lived in Georgia since 2023 and spent over seven months in extradition detention following his arrest by Georgian authorities on August 4, 2024. Following his release, Sadigov participated in multiple protests in Georgia’s capital, Tbilisi.

The Social Justice Center, a Georgian human rights group, first reported Sadigov’s arrest and represented him in court.  According to Sadigov’s lawyer, the arrest came days after Azerbaijan’s authorities abruptly decided on April 1 to discontinue criminal proceedings against Sadigov and notified the Tbilisi City Court of the decision. She added that shortly thereafter, on April 3, just a day before the arrest, the court revoked the previously imposed bail and movement restrictions on him.

Sadigov’s lawyer accused the judge of failing to adhere to the binding decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The judge reportedly failed to consider the fact that Sadigov’s wife and children have political asylum in Europe and refused to consider less restrictive alternatives, such as voluntary departure or seeking asylum in a third country. She described the deportation as “planned and organized in advance by two authoritarian regimes”.

On April 5, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia issued a statement accusing Sadigov of “insulting a police officer on social media” under Article 173 of the Code of Administrative Offences. The statement sought to justify the expulsion by citing Sadigov’s alleged involvement in multiple administrative offenses and unspecified “security-related concerns” communicated by Azerbaijani counterparts. The ministry contended that the European Court’s interim measure applied only to extradition in the context of criminal proceedings, which Azerbaijan had discontinued.

However, Sadigov’s lawyer argued that interim measures remain binding and stay in force unless the ECtHR itself lifts them. Both Azerbaijan and Georgia are parties to the European Convention on Human Rights and must respect the Court’s decisions.

On January 14 2025, the ECtHR issued a preliminary interim measure, pursuant to Rule 39 of the Rules of Court, directing the Georgian government to refrain from executing Sadigov’s extradition to the Republic of Azerbaijan until the expiration of seven days after the Court of Appeals’ ruling.