The inaugural session of the ninth convocation of Armenia’s National Assembly took place in Yerevan. The new parliament began its work with a political protest: during the swearing-in ceremony, opposition representatives refused to stand or recite the oath, whereas deputies from the ruling party stood while doing so. That same day, Nikol Pashinyan’s government resigned, in accordance with the Constitution.
Opposition Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Sadigov was detained under administrative law in the Georgian capital. This news was shared on social media by Tamta Mikeladze, a lawyer with the Center for Social Justice.
Sadigov's wife had previously reported that he had planned to attend a protest near parliament, but had stopped responding to calls after leaving home. She also said that her husband had noticed he was being followed in recent days and attributed his disappearance to "yet another political crackdown by the Aliyev and Ivanishvili regimes."
For several hours, the journalist's family and human rights activists attempted to establish his whereabouts. According to Mikeladze, "patrol police twice denied his detention and only now informed us of it."
"The relatives' fears and predictions of the worst, fortunately for them, were not realized. We will learn the details tomorrow and will inform you." "This is the kind of case where you rejoice at someone's arrest," the lawyer wrote on social media.
Afgan Sadigov, founder and editor-in-chief of the opposition Azerbaijani channel Azel TV, was arrested in Tbilisi on August 3, 2024, on the basis of a fabricated Interpol search warrant issued at the request of Baku. In May 2020, he was sentenced in Azerbaijan to seven years in prison on extortion charges. He was subsequently pardoned. Human rights activists called the criminal case a fabrication.
In April 2025, the Tbilisi City Court released Afgan Sadigov from extradition custody, placing him on bail as a preventive measure. After his release, the journalist continued his protest activity, in particular, publicly expressing support for convicted journalist Mzia Amaglobeli.