IPI welcomes release of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov

The International Press Institute (IPI) global network welcomes the release of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov, who had been held in detention pending extradition in Georgia since August 4, 2024 — one day after his arrest in Tbilisi. 

Authorities in Azerbaijan charged Sadygov, the head of the Azerbaijani news outlet and YouTube channel Azel.tv, with “threatening to spread offensive information” for alleged extortion purposes. He has previously faced severe repression in Azerbaijan and was jailed in his home country.

Sadygov was released on bail on April 16, 2025, after the Tbilisi City Court granted a prosecutor’s request to replace his extradition detention, according to Georgian human rights NGO Social Justice Center. The court ordered his release on a bail of GEL 5,000 (approximately $1,800).

This decision came after a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which prohibited Georgia from extraditing Sadygov until a final judgment is issued — a process that could take years. Following the ECHR’s decision, Sadygov ended his 161-day hunger strike.

N.Tebrizli