Azerbaijani Journalist Afgan Sadygod Released on Bail
Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov was released on bail on April 16 after the Tbilisi City Court granted a prosecutor’s request to replace his extradition detention, the Social Justice Center (SJC) reported.
The SJC, a human rights watchdog representing Sadygov, said his extradition custody was set to expire on May 3, the maximum nine-month period allowed under Georgian law. “Therefore, the Georgian prosecutor had to ask the court to change the form of pre-trial restriction,” the group said.
The SJC argued that no restrictions should have been applied. The court eventually released Sadygov on bail of GEL 5,000 (about $1,800).
The court’s decision follows a February ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which barred Georgia from extraditing Sadygov until a final judgment is issued, which could take years. The imprisoned journalist ended his 161-day hunger strike shortly after hearing the ECtHR’s decision.
Sadygov has reportedly lived in Georgia since December 2023. He was previously arrested in Azerbaijan in 2020 on extortion charges and sentenced to seven years in prison, later reduced to four years by the Supreme Court. He was released after about two years under an amnesty, following a 242-day hunger strike while in prison.
In Georgia, he was arrested in August 2024. Earlier, he was denied permission to travel to Turkey and told at the Tbilisi airport that his only option was to return to Azerbaijan.
Also Read:
- 06/08/2024 – International Watchdogs Urge Georgian Government Against Extradition of Critical Azerbaijani Journalist
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