Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov says he has been banned from leaving Azerbaijan, almost a month after being deported from Georgia.
On May 26, Sadigov wrote on Facebook from Baku International Airport that border officials prevented him from boarding a flight.
“I am banned from leaving the country. At customs, they told me that this ban was imposed by the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs,” he wrote.
Sadigov said no criminal or administrative proceedings are currently pending against him.
The journalist received his international passport in Baku on May 1, and his family had hoped he would be able to leave Azerbaijan and reunite with them abroad.
On April 4, Georgian Judge Tornike Kochkiani ruled that Sadigov was guilty in a case involving the alleged insult of a police officer on social media and approved his expulsion to Azerbaijan.
The court banned Sadigov from entering Georgia for three years and fined him 2,000 GEL.
The case was linked to a social media post in which Sadigov wrote that “where there is a dictatorship, police officers are ready to sell and trample everything underfoot in exchange for a salary and ‘pagons.’”
The ruling came days after Azerbaijan suspended criminal prosecution against him on April 1. On April 3, a Georgian court lifted Sadigov’s bail conditions and movement restrictions. The following day, he was administratively detained in Tbilisi and deported.
Sadigov has lived in Georgia since December 24, 2023 and held a temporary residence permit issued by Georgia’s Ministry of Justice.
A criminal case was launched against him in Azerbaijan on May 9, 2024. Days later, Azerbaijani authorities requested his extradition from Georgia.
On July 18, 2024, Sadigov attempted to travel to Turkey with his family, but Georgian border guards reportedly prevented him from leaving, telling him his wife and children could cross the border, but he could only return to Azerbaijan.
He was arrested in Georgia on August 3, 2024 and spent nine months in immigration detention. After his release, he was still not allowed to leave the country.
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Afghan Sadigov deported from Georgia detained by police in Baku, then released
