The undersigned MFRR partners, and other media freedom, journalist and freedom of expression organisations today condemn the arrest and deportation of Afgan Sadygov, founder of Azerbaijani news outlet and youtube channel Azel.tv from Georgia to Azerbaijan. Sadygov’s deportation constitutes a blatant violation of Georgia’s commitments under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and demands strong international condemnation.
Sadygov was deported on 5 April following his arrest at his home in Tbilisi the previous night on charges of “insulting police” on social media. The deportation verdict was made by a judge at Tbilisi City Court at 4am after a hearing that lasted only a few hours. The ruling ordered the journalist’s immediate deportation and imposed a three-year re-entry ban and a 2,000 lari (€743) fine.
The order was carried out immediately and the journalist was deported to Azerbaijan within hours. The action was taken despite Sadygov being under interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) that barred his extradition to Azerbaijan.
Days before the arrest, Azerbaijan dropped a longstanding criminal case and extradition request against Sadygov. Georgian authorities were informed of this decision on 1 April, leading a Georgian court to lift his bail and travel restrictions on 3 April. The two actions, which appear coordinated and aimed at bypassing the ECtHR ruling, meant that Sadygov could be deported rather than extradited. The journalists’ family have criticised the charges in Georgia as fabricated and aimed at providing a pretext for his removal.
After his arrival in Baku, on 6 April it was reported by Sadygov’s wife and his lawyer that he had been arrested. According to reports, the journalist was stopped on the street by officers who told him he was a wanted individual and then held for about 40 minutes before being released. No charges are understood to have been filed.
Azerbaijan had previously sought Sadygov’s extradition from Georgia for almost two years, accusing him of fraud or extortion. Sadygov had previously been held in detention pending extradition in Georgia since 4 August 2024. The deportation took place just one day before Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s official visit to Georgia.
In 2025, the ECtHR imposed interim measures barring his formal extradition or transfer until the final judgment was issued. As a result, Sadygov was released from pre-extradition detention in Tbilisi, though he remained on bail with a travel ban. Following the ECtHR’s decision, Sadygov ended his 161-day hunger strike.
Sadygov has been living in Georgia since December 2023. He initially travelled for medical reasons but decided to relocate to the country due to crackdowns on media freedom in neighbouring Azerbaijan. Sadygov had been arrested in Baku multiple times before, including in 2020 on controversial charges of extortion, which resulted in a seven-year prison sentence. During a July 2021 appeal hearing, his sentence was reduced to four years, and eventually pardoned by President Aliyev.
Partners organisations of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR) previously urged Georgian authorities to refrain from extraditing Sadygov and to allow his safe departure to a third country after his first arrest in Tbilisi in 2024. The International Press Institute (IPI) welcomed the ECtHR ruling and Sadygov’s release in April 2025.
Following the deportation, the undersigned organisations express shared alarm over Georgia’s blatant violation of its commitments under the ECHR. We are deeply concerned for Sadygov’s safety and that the deportation could lead to increased legal persecution by Azerbaijani authorities over his criticism of the Aliyev regime.
Our organisations call on the international community, including the Council of Europe and the European Union, to take urgent action to hold Georgia accountable for violations of the commitments under ECHR and to press Azerbaijan to guarantee Sadygov’s safety and freedom of movement. The journalist must be able to leave Azerbaijan and reunite with his family in a safe third country.
Sadygov’s deportation, which follows years of relentless legal harassment, is a stark example of transnational repression against journalists in Europe. It is also yet another sign that Georgia can no longer be regarded as a safe haven for exiled journalists. The Georgian authorities’ violation of the ECHR commitments demands a strong, coordinated international response to ensure accountability and prevent such abuses of international commitments.
