Extradition of the head of Azel TV website Afgan Sadygov from Georgia to Azerbaijan has been suspended for a week by the European Court of Human Rights. Tamta Mikeladze, the head of the Georgian Centre for Social Justice, which provides legal protection for Sadygov, wrote about it in facebook.
According to her, on December 10, the Centre for Social Justice urged the ECHR to use ‘interim measure’ in accordance with Rule 39 of the Rules of Court and suspend Afgan Sadygov's extradition to Azerbaijan.
This mechanism is used when there is a high and irreversible risk of a violation of rights and it is necessary to stop state action against the convention.
This appeal was sent to the ECHR due to the probability of approval of the decision on Sadygov's extradition at the session of the Tbilisi Court of Appeal on 15 January.
The ECHR granted the organisation's request and prohibited Sadygov's extradition within 7 days after the decision of the Tbilisi Court of Appeal, which upheld the first instance court's decision on his extradition.
The Centre for Social Justice informed the ECHR about the decision of the Court of Appeal and requested to extend the interim measure and prevent Sadygov's extradition until the Strasbourg Court makes a final decision on the case.
* Afgan Sadygov and his family arrived in Georgia in December 2023, fearing persecution. In July, he was not released from Georgia to Turkey, saying he could only return to Azerbaijan.
In August, Sadygov was taken into custody at a request from Azerbaijan. In Baku, he is accused of extortion and is demanding extradition. He has been on hunger strike since 21 September, protesting against his arrest and refusal to grant him asylum.
On 8 October, as a result of the hunger strike, his condition deteriorated and he was transferred to a prison hospital. Georgian authorities refused to grant him political asylum.
On 28 November, the Tbilisi City Court decided to extradite Afgan Sadygov to Azerbaijan. On 15 January, the Tbilisi Court of Appeal rejected Afgan Sadygov's appeal.
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