Georgian Court, in addition to arrest, also sentenced the Azerbaijani journalist to a fine

Afgan Sadigov

In addition to administrative arrest for 14 days, Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov was also fined 270,000 Lari (approximately 100,000 US dollars) on charges of "illegal road blocking."

On October 17, the 324th day of continuous protests in Georgia, Afgan Sadigov burned portraits of Bidzina Ivanishvili and Vladimir Putin during a demonstration on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi. On October 22, the journalist stopped contacting his relatives. On October 23, the Tbilisi court sentenced Sadigov to 14 days of administrative arrest. The Ministry of Internal Affairs accused the journalist of participating in an action that blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue.

A. Sadigov was also ordered to pay a fine of 270,000 Lari in addition to the 14-day administrative arrest sentence, his wife reported.

"On October 27, lawyer Aykhan Hasanli met with Afgan in the Marneuli detention center. The lawyer reported that in addition to the arrest, a monetary penalty had been issued against Afgan. Law enforcement agencies accused him of blocking the road 54 times during the protest actions, and for each such case, he was fined 5,000 Lari, totaling 270,000 Lari," said the journalist's wife, Sevinj Sadigova.

She said that the journalist has been unable to contact his family since his arrest.

"Afgan cannot call us. The detention center management stated that calls to France are impossible from there. However, I have a Georgian number, and Afgan could call that number. They are simply intentionally depriving him of opportunities to contact his family," S. Sadigova noted.

A. Sadigov was detained in Georgia in August 2024 following an extradition request from Azerbaijan.

On February 28, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) prohibited Georgia from extraditing Sadigov to Azerbaijan until a decision on the merits of the case is reached. On April 16, a Tbilisi court released Sadigov on monetary bail, executing the ECtHR ruling.

Previously, A. Sadigov had been convicted twice in Azerbaijan in connection with his professional activities.