Nurlan Gakhramanli's family is concerned about his condition amid his hunger strike in pretrial detention.

The health of Nurlan Gahramanli, a journalist arrested in the Meydan TV case, has seriously deteriorated on the seventh day of his hunger strike. Despite the entreaties of his family, Gahramanli refused to end his protest.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Nurlan Gahramanli told his wife that on December 1, 2025, he was subjected to violence by guards in the Sabail District Court of Baku, where his arrest was being extended. "For Nurlan pointing out the lack of medication for prisoners, force was used against him in the courthouse holding area. He was tied to a table and held that way for an hour," his wife said, noting that judges have not responded to Gahramanli's allegations of abuse. At the Meydan TV court hearing on January 16, Gahramanli announced an indefinite hunger strike in protest against the violence perpetrated by guards.

Gahramanli is continuing his hunger strike for seven days, the journalist's wife, Asli Alizade, told a Caucasian Knot correspondent today after meeting with her husband in Baku Pretrial Detention Center No. 1.

"As a result of the hunger strike, Nurlan's health has seriously deteriorated. His eyes have sunken. "Nurlan was weak, looked lethargic, had difficulty moving, and had difficulty speaking. His lips were cracked. His body ached, and he couldn't sleep at night due to the pain," Alizade said.

According to her, the pretrial detention center administration showed no interest in Gahramanli's condition, even though the journalist had officially notified them of his hunger strike. Gahramanli was also not under medical supervision; a doctor hadn't visited him even once during the week of his hunger strike.

During the meeting, Alizade tried to persuade her husband to end his hunger strike, but to no avail.

"No matter how hard I tried to persuade him, I couldn't convince Nurlan to end his hunger strike. He said he had lost all hope of justice and declared that he had no choice but to fight for his rights at the cost of his health. Nurlan barely lifted our little son into his arms. At the same time, he said he didn't know if he would ever be able to hold him again. And when the child asked, "Father, why don't you come home?" it was as if my heart broke. How can you cause so much pain and suffering to people...," Alizade noted.

A Caucasian Knot correspondent was unable to obtain comment from the Azerbaijani Penitentiary Service; the agency's public relations department did not answer phone calls.

The Meydan TV case was opened in December 2024, when six journalists were detained and later arrested on charges of currency smuggling. They linked the criminal case to their professional activities. By August 2025, 11 people had been arrested in the Meydan TV case. 1 At the end of August, it was announced that the investigation had been completed, and a 12th suspect, photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar, had emerged in the case. The arrested journalists were also charged with seven more criminal offenses. On December 12, 2025, at the first hearing in the Meydan TV case, the Baku court refused to close the criminal case and release the defendants.

Journalists from other media outlets, including Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Kanal-13, have also been persecuted in Azerbaijan. On June 20, journalists and employees of Abzas Media were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 7.5 to 9 years. They denied the charges in court, emphasizing that they were being persecuted for their professional activities and for investigating corruption cases.