12 February 2025, 23:48
Human rights defenders alarmed by condition of Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadygov
Azerbaijani journalist Afghan Sadygov, who was arrested in Tbilisi, stays in severe condition. He regularly loses consciousness and does not receive the necessary nutritional supplements.
On February 4, Afghan Sadygov, the head of the Azerbaijani “Azel.TV” website, lost consciousness in a pre-trial prison. Medical officers claim that further hunger strike is dangerous for the journalist’s life. On February 6, Afghan Sadygov agreed to stop the dry hunger strike, but continued to refuse food.
On September 20, 2024, Afghan Sadygov announced the start of his hunger strike in the Tbilisi pre-trial prison in protest against his arrest and denial of political asylum.
Lawyers from the “Centre for Social Justice” NGO have reported that the journalist “still does not receive nutritional supplements, which are essential for maintaining his health,” and does not receive water, although he had previously agreed to take it.
“Afghan stays in severe condition. He has been on the hunger strike for 143 days in protest (...) On February 6, he drank water, and he accepted even water with difficulty. Today, I was begging him to stop his dry hunger strike, because his condition is severe. Afghan promised me that he would drink water starting from today,” Sevindj Sadygova, a journalist’s spouse, wrote on Facebook*.
In December 2023, Afghan Sadygov came to Georgia with his family for medical treatment. However, he stayed there because of the repression of human rights defenders, journalists, and activists in Azerbaijan. On July 17, 2024, Georgian state border guards did not let Afghan Sadygov leave the country to fly to Turkey, explaining that he could only return to his homeland. Afghan Sadygov complained that he had already received threats from “people from Azerbaijan” in Georgia. The family members of Afghan Sadygov managed to leave Georgia and go to Europe.
*On March 21, 2022, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with extremist activities.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 11, 2025 at 01:41 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Galina Gotua Source: СK correspondent
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