Protesters outside the Georgian parliament condemned the deportation of Afgan Sadygov.
"Solidarity with Afghanistan" was the slogan of today's protest outside the Georgian parliament. Participants in the 494th day of daily protests, in which the Azerbaijani journalist has repeatedly participated, condemned his deportation from Georgia. As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Afgan Sadigov was detained late in the evening of April 4 and taken to the Tbilisi City Court, which ruled that night to deport him to Azerbaijan. This decision, "/articles/422200" contradicted the ECHR's ban on Sadigov's extradition to Azerbaijan, according to the Center for Social Justice, a human rights organization providing Sadigov's legal defense. On April 5, Georgian authorities handed Sadigov over to Azerbaijani Migration Service officers. The journalist was informed that the criminal case against him had been dropped and released. He is at large. Human rights activists and the journalist's wife fear that a new case may be brought against him.On February 28, 2025, the ECHR banned the extradition of Afgan Sadigov from Georgia to Azerbaijan pending a decision on the merits of the case. On April 1, Azerbaijan suspended the criminal prosecution against Sadigov and notified Georgia, and on April 4, Sadigov was detained in Tbilisi on administrative charges.
At a rally outside the Georgian parliament, participants expressed support for Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov, who was deported from Georgia today. Rally participants protested Sadigov's deportation to Azerbaijan, Interpressnews reports.
The crowd chanted "Solidarity with Afghanistan," the Tbilisi Life Telegram channel reports.
Sadygov regularly participated in protests throughout Georgia and attended trials of political prisoners, the publication says.
According to the fifth President of Georgia, Salome Zurabishvili, by grossly violating the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights and expelling Afgan Sadygov, "the Ivanishvili regime rejects international law and human rights."
"The international community must closely monitor this "Do something, raise your voice, and act decisively," she wrote on social media.
Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces carried out violent dispersals of the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Thousands of people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia".
We've updated our apps for Android and IOS! We welcome your feedback and development ideas both on Google Play/App Store and on KU's social media pages. Without installing a VPN, you can read us on Telegram (in Dagestan, Chechnya, and Ingushetia, with a VPN). Using a VPN, you can continue reading "Caucasian Knot" on the website as usual, and on social networks: Facebook*, Instagram*, "VKontakte", "Odnoklassniki" and X. You can watch the "Caucasian Knot" video on YouTube. Send messages to +49 157 72317856 on WhatsApp*, to the same number on Telegram, or write to @Caucasian_Knot.
* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.