Date of Birth: 18 February 1987
Detained Since: 6 December 2024
Affiliation: Independent journalist and field reporter; Meydan TV (since 2023); formerly with Azadliq and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)

Charges:

Initial charge (8 December 2024):

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

Additional charges announced on 28 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, 193-1.3.2)

• 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:

Ramin Jabrayilzade should be regarded as a political prisoner under criteria (a) and (e) of PACE Resolution 1900 (2012):

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

• (e) The proceedings appear driven by predominant political motives, aimed at silencing independent journalism and deterring protest and civic reporting through retaliatory financial-crime accusations.

Summary:

Ramin Jabrayilzade (Deko) is an Azerbaijani independent journalist and field reporter known for on-the-ground coverage of politically sensitive developments, including protest-related reporting. He began his career at Azadliq, later worked with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and joined Meydan TV in 2023. He was detained at Heydar Aliyev International Airport on 6 December 2024 upon return from Georgia, where he had reportedly been covering protests.

According to the case materials, his detention followed an airport inspection in which authorities alleged the discovery of 38,000 EUR in his luggage. Public reporting and defence statements have raised serious concerns about procedural irregularities, including lack of effective access to legal counsel during early investigative actions and deficiencies in the recording of search-and-seizure measures. Allegations have also been reported regarding ill-treatment in custody.

He was remanded in pre-trial detention on 8 December 2024, and his detention was repeatedly extended throughout 2025. In August 2025, authorities expanded the accusations into a broad set of alleged financial and document-related offences applied across the defendant group. The consolidated trial in the “Meydan TV case” began on 12 December 2025 before the Baku Assize Court, with Ramin Jabrayilzade among the defendants.

His prosecution is widely treated by press-freedom and human-rights observers as part of the broader crackdown on independent media and civil society in Azerbaijan that intensified from autumn 2023 onward.

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