The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, published a letter today addressed to the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan, seeking clarification regarding the criminal proceedings against journalist Afgan Sadigov, editor-in-chief of the news website Azel.tv, who was arrested on 8 June and subsequently remanded in pre-trial detention. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) welcomes the Commissioner’s letter and calls on the international community, including the Council of Europe and the European Union, to press Azerbaijan to guarantee Sadigov’s safety and freedom of movement. The journalist must be able to leave Azerbaijan and reunite with his family in a safe third country.
In 2024, Georgian authorities arrested Afgan Sadigov based on an Azerbaijani extradition request related to criminal charges of extortion. Following an indication from the European Court of Human Rights that he should not be removed to Azerbaijan, the Georgian authorities released him on bail on 16 April 2025. After Azerbaijani authorities terminated the criminal case on 1 April 2026, Afgan Sadigov was deported back to Azerbaijan on 5 April 2026.
After Sadigov’s arrival in Baku on 5 April, police informed him that the criminal case against him had been closed. However, on 26 May Sadigov stated in a video that, when he attempted to leave Azerbaijan and reunite with his family, border police told him that the criminal investigation had not been closed, and that the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs had imposed a travel ban on him.
On 8 June, Afgan Sadigov was detained in Jalilabad and transferred to Baku. The same day, the Binagadi District Court in Baku ordered his pre-trial detention until 30 July. The Baku Court of Appeals upheld the decision on 19 June. Sadigov is being held at Baku Pre-Trial Detention Centre No. 1 and has not been allowed to contact his family.
In his letter, the Council of Europe Commissioner referred to his earlier letter to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, asking for the immediate release of all human rights defenders, journalists and civil society activists imprisoned for their legitimate work or for expressing dissenting or critical opinions, and for all related criminal charges to be dropped.
“Azerbaijan has become one of the most repressive countries in Europe, with 37 journalists in prison,” said EFJ President Maja Sever. “The international community must significantly step up the pressure on the authorities of this rogue state. We must secure the release of Afgan Sadigov and the 36 other journalists imprisoned for doing their job”.
Source: EFJ
