The court removed Sadigov from the proceedings after comments about a political order for his arrest.
At the very beginning of the substantive hearing of the case of Afghan Sadigov, the judge ordered the journalist to be removed from the courtroom for a "political statement." Sadigov's lawyer stated that his right to defense was violated.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan resumed the previously terminated criminal case of extortion against Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadigov, and on June 8, the court arrested him. In July, the court extended the preventive measure until October 30. On October 23, a preparatory hearing in Sadigov's case took place at the Lenkaran Serious Crimes Court.
On February 28, 2025, the European Court of Human Rights prohibited the extradition of Afghan Sadigov from Georgia to Azerbaijan until a decision on the merits of the case was made. However, on April 1, Azerbaijan suspended the criminal prosecution of Sadigov and notified Georgia about it, and on April 4, Sadigov was detained in Tbilisi on an administrative case. The next day, he was deported from the country and handed over to the Azerbaijani Migration Service. Thus, the authorities found a formal way to circumvent the ECHR's ban on Sadigov's extradition. In Azerbaijan, the journalist was informed that the criminal case against him was terminated, and he was released. He was not allowed to leave the country during the period when the case was terminated.
On November 3, the judicial investigation into the case of journalist Afghan Sadigov began at the Lenkaran Serious Crimes Court. At the beginning of the session, although Judge Annagi Mamedli granted the request to remove the defendant from the glass cage: Sadigov was allowed to sit next to his lawyer, but his handcuffs were not removed, said the journalist's wife Sevinj Sadigova to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot".
Then the judge announced that seven people were recognized as victims in the case, and state prosecutor Taleh Safarov read the concluding part of the indictment.
"The judge asked Afghan if he understood the essence of the charges and whether he pleaded guilty. In response, Afghan stated that everything presented in the indictment was a lie. My husband said that he was arrested on a political order for his journalistic activities. Judge Mamedli threatened Afghan that if he continued making political statements, the session would proceed without his participation. He ordered Afghan to be placed back in the glass cage. Afghan was returned to the aquarium cage, with four convoy officers assigned to him," continued Sevinj Sadigova.
Then the prosecutor suggested first hearing the testimonies of the victims, since Sadigov did not plead guilty.
"Lawyer Nemat Kerimli requested to postpone the session, as he had not yet had the opportunity to meet with his client and wanted to have a confidential conversation with him. The prosecutor deemed the request 'unfounded,' and the court decided to continue the process after a discussion on the spot. Afghan protested against this decision and supported his lawyer's request; however, the judge stated that the decision had already been made. In response, my husband said that what was happening was not justice. He reiterated that he was arrested on a political order and that the court was also executing a political order," said the defendant's wife.
After that, the judge ordered Afghan Sadigov to be removed from the courtroom. "Convoy officers forcibly removed Afghan from the courtroom. In response, Afghan began shouting political slogans," said Sadigova.
The journalist's lawyer stated that his rights to defense were violated. "He again requested to postpone the hearings to have the opportunity to communicate with his client. This time, the judge granted the request, and a break was announced in the process," concluded Sadigova.
Lawyer Nemat Kerimli confirmed to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" the words of Afghan Sadigov's wife. He called the detention of the journalist in handcuffs in court unlawful: as the lawyer explained, handcuffs can be placed on the defendant during transportation, but before the court, the accused should be without handcuffs.
The detention of the accused in handcuffs in the courtroom violates the principle of the presumption of innocence: handcuffs create a visual image of the accused as a dangerous criminal, although there is no verdict against him yet, noted Kerimli.
An employee of the Lenkaran Serious Crimes Court informed the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" that the next court session in the case of Afghan Sadigov is scheduled for November 16. Representatives of the prosecution were unavailable for comments.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the union "For the Freedom of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan" recognized Afghan Sadigov as a political prisoner. At the end of June, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Michael O'Flaherty, urged the Azerbaijani authorities to provide information on the reasons for the resumption of the criminal case against Sadigov. Pre-trial detention should be applied as an exceptional measure, he noted. The Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan stated that the journalist's case is related to criminal charges and has nothing to do with his activities.