Georgian Interior Ministry: Afgan Sadigov deported to Azerbaijan, banned from entering Georgia for three years

The Georgian interior ministry on Sunday announced that Azerbaijani citizen Afgan Sadigov has been deported from Georgia and barred from entering the country for three years following a court ruling.

The Tbilisi City Court found him guilty of insulting a police officer on social media, fining him ₾2,000 and imposing deportation as an additional penalty.

“The Tbilisi City Court found Sadigov guilty of an offence under Article 173 of the Code of Administrative Offences, specifically for insulting a police officer on social media. As a penalty, he was fined ₾2,000, deported from Georgia, and banned from entering the country for three years. The court considered the position of the ministry of internal affairs and took into account the fact that this individual had been recorded 62 times for various administrative offences, including violations of assembly and demonstration rules, for which he had already served two terms of administrative detention. Additionally, other factual circumstances were considered, including information provided by Azerbaijani law enforcement regarding Sadigov and security concerns”, the statement said.

The ministry clarified that although Azerbaijan had previously requested Sadigov’s extradition in a criminal case, Georgia did not comply due to a temporary measure issued by the European Court of Human Rights.

“For the sake of public information and to avoid speculation, we clarify that in recent years, the Republic of Azerbaijan requested the extradition of Afghan Sadigov, wanted in a criminal case. Because of the temporary measure imposed by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, Georgia did not extradite Sadigov to Azerbaijan. Naturally, the Georgian side refused to extradite the individual regarding the mentioned criminal case”, the statement noted.

“Recently, the Georgian authorities were officially informed that the Azerbaijani Prosecutor’s Office exercised discretionary power and terminated the criminal prosecution in the case for which the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg had issued a temporary measure. Accordingly, all extradition procedures in Georgia have also been halted”, the ministry continued.

The ministry further highlighted that the deportation and entry ban were applied strictly under administrative law, emphasising that human rights were fully protected while maintaining a balance with national security interests.

“At the same time, Sadigov committed an administrative offence, which, as a penalty combined with a fine, includes deportation from Georgia and a ban on entering the country. This penalty was applied by the court to the individual detained under administrative proceedings. Consequently, Afgan Sadigov has been deported to his country of origin and banned from entering Georgia for three years”, the statement said.

“In Georgia, human rights and freedoms are fully protected. At the same time, the state strictly maintains a balance between individual rights and national security interests. Persons without legal grounds and who violate the law are subject to measures defined by law, fully consistent with the principle of the rule of law”, the statement concluded.