Protesters in Tbilisi expressed solidarity with Afgan Sadygov.

Activists who gathered outside the Georgian parliament on the 495th day of continuous protests dedicated most of their posters to Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov, who was deported to his homeland in defiance of an ECHR ruling.

As reported by the Caucasian Knot, Afgan Sadigov was detained late in the evening on April 4 and taken to the Tbilisi City Court, which ruled that night to deport him to Azerbaijan. On April 5, Georgian authorities handed Afgan Sadigov over to Azerbaijan's Migration Service. The journalist was informed that the criminal case against him had been dropped and he was at large. Human rights activists and the journalist's wife fear that a new case could be brought against him. The rally outside parliament on the evening of April 5 took place under the slogan "Solidarity with Afghanistan."

Supporters of Georgia's European integration gathered this evening on the pedestrian section of Rustaveli Avenue for the 495th consecutive day. The rally, like the day before, was primarily dedicated to expressing solidarity with Afgan Sadygov.

Protesters came to parliament with posters reading, "Until the end, Afghan Sadygov, we will see the end of the dictatorship," "Friend of the Georgian people - fearless Afghan," "Afghan, thank you for your fearless struggle on Rustaveli," "Solidarity with Afghanistan," "I am Afghan Sadygov and I will stand here until the end," and "Solidarity with Sadygov - the fire of the oligarchy," according to posts by photographer Mo Se and Georgian media on Facebook*.

In addition, activists carried posters reading, "Rising prices are also your responsibility," "If not this minute, if not this day, truth will still prevail," "Solidarity, equality, justice," "No to the pro-Russian government," "Victory is near," and "There should be no censorship in art."

Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, who was kidnapped in Tbilisi in May 2017 and forcibly taken to Baku, claims that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev feared Sadigov's protests during his visit to Tbilisi. Mukhtarli is confident that the president personally negotiated with Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili to expel the journalist from Georgia, and that a "large sum of money" was involved in the deal, Pirveli reports.

On March 31, Afgan Sadigov once again burned a photograph of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili on Rustaveli Avenue. In the fall of 2025, an Azerbaijani journalist served several administrative arrests for participating in protests on Rustaveli Street and was sentenced to numerous large fines.

Sadigov burned portraits of Bidzina Ivanishvili and Vladimir Putin during a protest on October 17, after which he was arrested. After serving his arrest, Sadigov attended the protest on November 11 and burned portraits of Putin and Ivanishvili a second time. On January 13, he burned an image of Irakli Kobakhidze during a protest near parliament. 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.

Protesters in Georgia have been demanding new parliamentary elections and the release of political prisoners since November 28, 2024. Security forces violently dispersed the protests, using tear gas and water cannons, and detained protesters. Thousands of people were subjected to administrative prosecution during the protests. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report, "The Main Thing About the Persecution of Protesters in Georgia".