The condition of the Meydan TV case suspect on hunger strike in pretrial detention has worsened.
Hunger-striking journalist Nurlan Gahramanli's blood pressure has risen, his wife reported. Only after the lack of assistance for Gahramanli became public did prison doctors come to him.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot" newspaper, 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 kept 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.
Nurlan Gahramanli is a freelance journalist who collaborates with various independent publications and is known under the pseudonym Nurlan Libre. He was detained on February 20, 2025.
Nurlan Gahramanli is on his ninth day of hunger strike in Baku Pretrial Detention Center No. 1, his wife, Asli Alizade, reported. "Nurlan called the day before yesterday, on January 26. After I publicized Nurlan's lack of medical care, doctors came to him and began measuring his blood pressure. It was high. He has pain all over, and his sleep is disturbed," Alizade told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. However, despite his deteriorating health, Gahramanli intends to continue his hunger strike until his demands are met, she added.
"Nurlan and I don't communicate daily. Therefore, Nurlan said that until he personally announces the end of his hunger strike, his action will be considered ongoing," Alizade continued.
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. . At the end of August, it was announced that the investigation had been completed, and a 12th suspect, photojournalist Ahmed Mukhtar, had appeared 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 imprisonment for 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.
Translated automatically via Google translate from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/420315