Date of Birth:5 March 1997
Detained Since: 20 February 2025
Affiliation: Founder, Portağal Media; freelance reporter, Meydan TV

Charges:

Initial charge (20 February 2025):

• Conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling (Art. 206.3.2)

Additional charges announced on 29 August 2025:

• Conspiracy to commit illegal entrepreneurship in the form of an organised criminal group and in an aggravated and significant amount (Art. 192.3.2)

• Conspiracy to commit money laundering in the form of an organised criminal group and a substantial amount (Arts. 193-1.3.1, 193-1.3.3.2)

• Conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling in the form of an organised criminal group (Art. 206.4)

• Conspiracy to commit tax evasion in the form of an organised criminal group (Art. 213.2.1)

• Forgery and use of forged documents (Arts. 320.1, 320.2)

Conviction and Sentence:
Trial ongoing before the Baku Assize Court. No conviction or sentence to date.

Political Prisoner Status:

Nurlan Gahramanli’s deprivation of liberty meets criteria (a) and (e) of PACE Resolution 1900 (2012):

• (a) His arrest and continued pre-trial detention violate rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of association, given his role as an independent journalist.

• (e) The criminal proceedings appear driven by predominant political motives, as part of a broader campaign to silence independent media and deter critical reporting through retaliatory use of financial-crime accusations.

Summary:

Nurlan Gahramanli (Libre) is an independent Azerbaijani journalist with a public profile linked to field reporting and coverage of politically sensitive issues. He is the founder of Portağal Media and has also worked as a freelance reporter for Meydan TV, placing him within a media environment that has faced intensifying pressure since 2023.

He was arrested on 20 February 2025 in connection with the “Meydan TV case,” initially accused of conspiracy to commit bulk cash smuggling. His case later saw an expansion of charges to include alleged illegal entrepreneurship, money laundering, tax offences, and document-related accusations—an escalation pattern widely reported in similar prosecutions targeting journalists and civil society actors in Azerbaijan.

Reported concerns include inadequate safeguards at early stages of detention, including allegations that the remand hearing took place without his lawyer present, and repeated extensions of pre-trial detention. His prosecution is widely treated by observers as part of a broader crackdown on independent media and civil society that escalated from autumn 2023 onward.

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