This article is part of a partnership with OC Media. You can read the original in English here.
The Baku Court of Appeal has upheld the pre-trial detention of independent Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov, who was recently deported from Georgia. Sadigov was detained more than two months after his return to Azerbaijan and is currently facing trial in an old criminal case.
The journalist’s wife, Sevinj Sadigova, reported the court’s decision on June 18. According to her, the appeal was rejected, and the lower court’s ruling on detention remained in force.
Sadigova stated she was not surprised by the decision, which was made “in a system led by Ilham Aliyev.”
On June 8, Sadigov was detained in Jalilabad, about 200 kilometers from Baku, by a group of masked men. On the same day, a court ordered his pre-trial detention. The arrest took place two months after his deportation from Georgia, where the journalist had been living since late 2023.
Azerbaijani authorities accuse Sadigov of extorting money from a government official. His lawyers in Georgia had previously called these allegations groundless.
Azerbaijan had previously sought the journalist’s extradition from Georgia. In August 2024, Georgian law enforcement authorities detained Sadigov and placed him under extradition detention. However, in 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) applied interim measures, banning his extradition until the case was fully reviewed. Following this, the journalist was released.
While in Tbilisi, Sadigov continued to sharply criticize both Azerbaijani and Georgian authorities. He regularly participated in anti-government protests in the Georgian capital and expressed support for detained opposition figures in both countries.
Despite his release, Sadigov remained under travel restrictions imposed by a Georgian court. As a result, he was unable to leave the country and reunite with his family, who live in the European Union.
Subsequently, the journalist was deported to Azerbaijan following a late-night session of the Tbilisi City Court. Shortly before this, he was unexpectedly detained on charges of “insulting” Georgian police officers online. This violation was cited as the official reason for his deportation.
A few days before his deportation, the criminal case in Azerbaijan under which Sadigov is currently detained was closed. At the same time, the Georgian side lifted his travel restrictions. Critics viewed these developments as coordinated actions by the two states aimed at bypassing the ECHR ruling and subsequently deporting the journalist to Azerbaijan.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the criminal prosecution was resumed after the individuals recognized as victims in the case successfully petitioned a local court to reinstate it.
During the two months Sadigov was free in Azerbaijan, he managed to obtain an international passport. However, according to him, the authorities still prevent him from leaving the country and reuniting with his family.
