Journalist Gahramanli complained to the prosecutor about pressure from security forces.

Nurlan Gahramanli, arrested in the Meydan TV case, told the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan that he faced threats from security forces and was sent to solitary confinement after refusing to end his hunger strike. His cellmate also came under pressure due to the journalist's hunger strike.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," on January 16, journalist Nurlan Gahramanli, arrested in the Meydan TV case, declared an indefinite hunger strike in protest against violence perpetrated by guards. On February 20, at a court hearing in Baku, he announced that he had been on a hunger strike for 36 days, but was not receiving medical care.

Nurlan Gahramanli wrote to the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, describing the harsh conditions in the detention center and the pressure he was subjected to. He claims that he was placed in solitary confinement for refusing to end his hunger strike, JAMnews reported today.

I was not taken to a medical center, although I asked for it.

"I was not taken to a medical center, although I asked for it. There are no sanitary conditions in the cell. I was deprived of the right to a telephone and visits," the publication quotes the journalist's letter.

Gahramanli noted in his appeal to the prosecutor that on the morning of February 23, he, who had been on a hunger strike for about 40 days, was "forced to stand for an hour" and threatened, demanding that he end his hunger strike, Meydan TV reported on its website on March 1.

Although the cell is designed for 8 people, there are 12 people there.

According to him, after the threats did not The protests had no effect, and he was placed in solitary confinement. His cellmate was later subjected to pressure as well. "Seeing that I wasn't giving in, [the security officer] placed my cellmate, Fuad, in cell 513, where conditions are even worse. Although the cell is designed for eight people, there are 12 people there," the journalist noted.

He noted that he wrote a statement ending his hunger strike after being unable to bear the harsh conditions of his friend's detention, but he did not actually end the hunger strike.

The journalist stated that he considered the security forces' actions illegal and asked the Prosecutor General's Office to provide a legal assessment. "I ask you to provide a legal assessment of the illegal actions committed against me," his words are quoted in the publication.

The arrests at Meydan TV marked a new round of repression Against journalists

As a reminder, 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 been identified. The arrested journalists were also charged with seven more criminal offenses. 2 On December 12, 2025, at the first hearing in the Meydan TV case, the court refused to close the criminal case and release the defendants.

Those arrested in the Meydan TV case were persecuted at the direction of Azerbaijan's leadership for their journalistic activities, said one of the defendants, Shamshad Aga. "You have neither the authority nor the courage to make arbitrary decisions in any process controlled by [President] Ilham Aliyev. In these processes, the investigator, the prosecutor, and the judge are Ilham Aliyev," he told the court.

12:39 19.02.2026

Serial Arrests of Journalists in Azerbaijan

Since November 2023, a series of arrests of independent media journalists has taken place in Azerbaijan, and several criminal cases have been opened under a similar scenario. A new wave of repression against the independent press is described in a "Caucasian Knot" report.

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. In court, they denied the charges, emphasizing that they were being persecuted for their professional activities and for investigating corruption.

The number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan reached its highest level in 2024 since the country's 23-year membership in the Council of Europe, according to a "Caucasian Knot" report "Key Points on the Record Number of Political Prisoners in Azerbaijan". At the same time, the Azerbaijani authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in the country.