“Due to the deterioration of health condition, Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadigov has been transferred to the penitentiary hospital by the prison administration,” – Rights Georgia, which defends the interests of the detainee, published a statement on October 8.
According to the organization, lawyers have visited Sadigov in the hospital. “The journalist is responsive, but his health condition is severe,” the statement reads.
The journalist – editor-in-chief of Azel.tv was arrested in Tbilisi on August 3 and has since been held in Gldani No. 8 Penitentiary Facility. Prior to this, Sadigov, who had been living in Georgia since 2023, was denied permission to travel to Turkey. The Azerbaijani journalist only learned after his detention that criminal proceedings had been initiated against him in Azerbaijan. According to the statement by Rights Georgia, based on information from the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office, the case against Sadigov in Azerbaijan was initiated on May 9, 2024, and on May 13, the Azerbaijani side requested his extradition from Georgia. The Tbilisi City Court ordered a three-month extradition detention for Afghan Sadigov.
The Azerbaijani journalist has been on a hunger strike in prison since September 21. The journalist resorted to this extreme form of protest after the Migration Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs refused him international protection in Georgia.
