Date of Birth: 01 July 1974
Detained Since: 23 October 2025
Affiliation: Member of the Azerbaijan Bar Association and human rights defender known for representing political activists, victims of state abuse, and defendants in politically sensitive cases.

Charges:

• Hooliganism, namely alleged gross violation of public order accompanied by resistance to a person preventing the breach of public order (Art. 221.2.2)

• Fraud, repeated commission (Art. 178.2.2)

• Fraud committed by a person using his official position (Art. 178.2.3)

• Fraud causing significant damage (Art. 178.2.4)

Conviction and Sentence:

He remains in remand custody in the course of pending criminal proceedings.

Political Prisoner Status:

His detention meets criteria (a) and (e) of PACE Resolution 1900 (2012):

• Violation of freedom of expression and the right to freedom of association, as well as the right to a fair trial and to liberty and security under the ECHR.

• His prosecution is politically motivated and appears aimed at punishing and silencing him for his legal work, human rights advocacy, and public criticism of police abuse and misconduct.

Summary:

Zabil Gahramanov is an Azerbaijani lawyer and human rights defender from Kalbajar, a member of the Azerbaijan Bar Association and a lawyer of the Ganja Regional Legal Office. Before his arrest, he was well known for acting in politically sensitive and high-profile cases, including the defense of Ilkin Suleymanov and Polad Ismayilov, representation of victims in the “Tartar” cases, and defense of AXCP/PFPA members Sahib Mammadzadeh and Shahin Hajiyev, as well as other political activists. He was also known for defending persons detained on political grounds and for publicly denouncing police violence and abuses in Ganja.

He was detained on 23 October 2025. On 25 October 2025, he was formally charged under Articles 178.2.4 and 221.2.2 of the Criminal Code, and on 15 January 2026 the accusations were broadened to Articles 178.2.2, 178.2.3, 178.2.4 and 221.2.2. The allegations are widely regarded as fabricated and politically motivated. His arrest followed the suspension of his law license on 8 October 2025 after a complaint by the Ministry of Internal Affairs in connection with his public criticism of police misconduct and rights violations, strongly suggesting that the prosecution is retaliatory.

The proceedings indicate a progressively broadened and constructed case rather than a bona fide criminal investigation. The file was initially opened under a hooliganism allegation arising from an alleged local altercation, then expanded to include fraud accusations, and later widened further while the investigation was centralized within the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ main investigative structure. This pattern suggests that the charges were adjusted in order to preserve detention and increase pressure on him.

He remains in pre-trial detention, following an initial remand order on 25 October 2025 that was upheld on appeal on 28 October 2025. His detention was later extended until 23 March 2026 and then again until 23 May 2026. 

The handling of the case has been marked by closed hearings, formulaic judicial reasoning, and heavy reliance on investigator-led applications, complainant allegations, minor forensic material, and generic assertions of risk such as absconding, obstruction, or unlawful influence. The courts repeatedly accepted the prosecution’s version without rigorous scrutiny and rejected defense arguments that there were neither factual nor procedural grounds for detention. Public reporting also indicates that no reliable primary evidence of guilt has been presented.

Gahramanov’s case reflects the broader pattern of political repression in Azerbaijan since 2022–2023, targeting opposition figures, journalists, civil society actors, and lawyers engaged in politically sensitive defense work. His prosecution appears to form part of that wider campaign and to serve a punitive and deterrent purpose against legal professionals who challenge state abuse and defend politically targeted individuals.

International human rights observers have denounced the charges against Zabil Gahramanov as politically motivated.

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