Day: May 26, 2026

Journalist Afgan Sadigov, who was deported by Georgia to Azerbaijan in a controversial overnight move in early April, said on May 26 that he was not allowed to leave Azerbaijan, noting he was told at customs that the ban was imposed by Baku’s Prosecutor’s Office and Interior Ministry.

The journalist has been staying in Azerbaijan since his handover to Baku and is known to be seeking to leave the country to reunite with his family abroad, having applied for an international passport later in April. His supporters and lawyers have expressed fears for his safety following what they describe as an unlawful deportation.

“They did not allow me to leave Azerbaijan. There is no violation of the law, no investigation or criminal investigation against me.
Then they say that Afgan Sadigov criticizes this government – bandits, tyrants, murderers, corrupt officials,” Sadigov wrote on Facebook, posting his picture and saying he was at Baku International Airport.

Sadigov, who had faced arrest and prosecution in Azerbaijan, was detained late on April 4 in Tbilisi on allegations of “insulting a police officer on social media,” soon after which the court ruled to deport him under the laws that allow deportation for foreigners committing administrative offences. The journalist has lived in Georgia since 2023 and spent over seven months in extradition detention following his arrest by Georgian authorities in August 2024. He was released on bail in April 2025, after the European Court of Human Rights issued an interim ruling barring his extradition to Azerbaijan.

The deportation closely followed Baku’s move to terminate the criminal case against Sadigov, which ended the extradition process, with Georgian authorities implying that the ECtHR measure barring his extradition was thus no longer relevant. Sadigov’s lawyers and ruling party critics have disputed the legality of deportation, fearing the journalist faces “gravest risks” to his life and safety in Azerbaijan.

The deportation came a day before Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s official visit to Georgia, where he met, among others, with Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili.

“Afqan was not simply handed over from Georgia. There will still be more serious consequences ahead. The Georgian regime signed off not only on Afqan’s arrest, but even on his death,” Sevinc Sadigova, journalist’s wife, wrote on Facebook following Sadigov’s report about not being allowed to leave Azerbaijan. “They are simply waiting for this issue to drag on for a while and for people to forget about it so that they can carry out their plans.”

Also Read:

• 06/04/2026 – Afgan Sadigov Briefly Detained, Released Day After Deportation to Azerbaijan
• 06/04/2026 – Afgan Sadigov Free in Baku but Faces ‘Uncertainty’ After Deportation From Georgia

For decades, Azerbaijan’s economic narrative has been dominated by the hum of oil rigs and the strategic flow of pipelines. While petroleum has undeniably fueled the nation’s modernization, a sustainable future requires anchoring the economy in soil, not just oil. The recent declarations from the Ministry of Agriculture outlining the 2026–2030 State Program signal a vital shift in perspective.