The Tbilisi City Court has found Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadygov guilty of an administrative offense and sentenced him to 14 days of administrative detention.
The charge stems from an incident on October 18, when the Ministry of Internal Affairs accused Sadygov of intentionally blocking Rustaveli Avenue during ongoing protests in the Georgian capital.
Sadygov defended his actions in court, saying he stood in solidarity with Georgian demonstrators.
“I fully support the Georgian people whose rights are being violated. Ivanishvili is steering Georgia toward dictatorship. Those who agree with Ivanishvili are also supporting dictatorship. You can sentence me even to a year, because when I am released, I will join the protests again,” he stated, calling on authorities not to “support dictatorship.”
Interior Ministry says 14 people were detained and 53 violations were recorded during the rallies on October 18–19 for non-compliance with rules governing assemblies and demonstrations.
