A Baku court has refused to release Afgan Sadigov.

The Baku Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal against the arrest of journalist Afgan Sadigov, leaving him in custody.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan reopened a previously closed criminal case of extortion against Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov. On June 8, the court selected a preventive measure in the form of arrest for him.

The Baku Court of Appeal, which reviewed the appeal against Afgan Sadigov's arrest, rejected the journalist's defense's request to release him from custody. This was reported on June 18 by the arrested man's wife, Sevinj Sadigova, on her Facebook page*.

Sadygova emphasized that she was "not surprised" by the court's decision to uphold her husband's arrest. She expressed confidence that the judge did not make this decision independently, but was following the instructions of the country's political leadership. According to his wife, the Azerbaijani authorities do not intend to release Afgan Sadigov, as they want to ensure his death in custody.

In August 2024, Afgan Sadigov's wife called the charges brought against her husband in Azerbaijan false. "How could Afgan commit this 'crime' if he's been in Georgia since late December last year (2023)? The Azerbaijani authorities were simply worried that Afgan would leave Georgia for a third country, and hastily fabricated a criminal case. He's being punished for speaking out against injustice, tyranny, and lawlessness. Afgan didn't remain silent in Georgia either; he continued criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities on social media," Sevinj Sadygova said on her Facebook page*.

On her page, Sadygova also published photos of Georgian activists picketing the streets with signs reading "Freedom for Afgan Sadygova."

Sadygova is personally known to many of the protesters on Rustaveli Avenue—during her stay in Georgia, the journalist regularly supported the daily demonstrations. He served several administrative arrests for participating in protests and was sentenced to numerous large fines. After his deportation, protesters came out to parliament under the slogan: "Solidarity with Afghanistan."

Shortly before his deportation from Georgia, on March 31, Afgan Sadigov once again burned a photograph of Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder of the Georgian Dream, on Rustaveli Avenue. Before this, at the February 23 protest, Sadygov burned photographs of Bidzina Ivanishvili, Vladimir Putin, and the Kremlin, as well as a photo of a tank with a Russian flag.