Representatives of the Georgian Ombudsman’s office visited Afghan Sadigov

On August 29, representatives of the Georgian Ombudsman’s office visited Afghan Sadigov, the head of the “Azel TV” Azerbaijani YouTube channel, who is currently held in pretrial detention. Sadigov was arrested in Georgia on an extradition request from Azerbaijan. Sadigov’s wife, Sevinc Sadigova, reported that her husband contacted her from detention and sent greetings to his friends. She noted that the Ombudsman’s office staff continues to monitor Sadigov’s politically motivated arrest and regularly meets with him.

According to Sevinc Sadigova, Afghan Sadigov has alleged that his criminal case is fabricated. He claimed that the complaints against him come from individuals he does not know, has never met, and has not communicated with. Sadigov believes the charges are baseless and fears that if extradited to Azerbaijan, he could face even more severe accusations.

Sevinc Sadigova mentioned that she had previously met with her husband in detention. She reiterated Sadigov’s belief that his arrest was related to his criticism of the Azerbaijani authorities.

Afghan Sadigov, along with his family, arrived in Georgia on December 24 of the previous year. He was detained by Georgian police on August 3 while attempting to fly to Istanbul with his family. On August 4, the Tbilisi City Court ordered his detention for three months pending extradition to Azerbaijan.

In court, it was reported that on May 10, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs charged Sadigov under Articles 188.2.2 and 182.2.4 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, which pertain to “extortion by threats, seizure of someone else’s property, and repeated threats to publish compromising information.”