Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov has been arrested in Tbilisi for 14 days.

On September 20, 2024, Afgan Sadigov announced a hunger strike in a Tbilisi pretrial detention center to protest his arrest and denial of political asylum. The journalist only ended his hunger strike in January, agreeing to take yogurt with vitamins, although he had been refusing food in February and had been on a dry hunger strike for several days. On February 28, the European Court of Human Rights injunction barred Georgia from extraditing Sadigov to Azerbaijan pending a ruling on the merits of the case. On April 16, a Tbilisi court released Sadigov on bail, complying with an ECHR ruling.

Judge Zviad Tsekvava sentenced Sadigov to 14 days of administrative arrest today. The Ministry of Internal Affairs accused the journalist of participating in a protest that blocked traffic on Rustaveli Avenue.

"(The demonstrators) entered the roadway without permission and began to artificially block the road. Police officers demanded (the protesters) leave the roadway, warning that appropriate measures would be taken otherwise. Afgan Sadigov was among them," Georgia Online quotes Interior Ministry spokesman Vakhtang Shukakidze as saying.

Sadigov himself also spoke at the hearing. "I fully support the Georgian people, whose rights are being violated. Ivanishvili is leading Georgia toward dictatorship. Anyone who agrees with Ivanishvili also supports dictatorship. Why aren't you investigating the crimes being committed against people? Ivanishvili is the one who needs to be punished. You can sentence me to a year (in jail), because when I get out, I'll immediately go to a protest. Don't support dictatorship," Interpressnews quotes the journalist as saying.