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Fatime Movlamli, detained in connection with the "Meydan TV case," conveyed her unwavering spirit through a letter from her detention center. Movlamli, arrested on February 28, 2025, faces charges of smuggling, an accusation she vehemently denies.
In her letter, Movlamli described the reactions of fellow detainees who, upon learning of her smuggling charges, immediately recognized her profession. "People do not believe that independent journalists could be smugglers. Some even think that this charge was specifically created to frame and imprison journalists," she wrote.
Movlamli recounted her arrest with a sense of resolute amusement. "When the masked police officers handcuffed me, I was laughing. I laughed when the puppet court sentenced me, and I am still laughing now, writing this in my prison cell. The helplessness of those who falsely accuse and imprison us, when confronted with the truths we expose, only makes me stronger," she stated.
She reassured her supporters, "I am strong. I consider the handcuff on my wrist as my new press card."
Movlamli’s arrest followed a series of detentions related to Meydan TV. On December 6, 2024, several Meydan TV employees, including Ramin Deko (Jabrayilzade), Aynur Ganbarova (Elgunesh), Aysel Umudova, Aytac Ahmadova (Tapdig), Khayala Agayeva, and Natig Javadli, along with Ulvi Tahirov, were detained under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code (smuggling committed by a group of individuals acting in collusion). Further arrests in February 2025 included Shamshad Agayev (Aga) and Nurlan Libre (Gahramanli).
Prior to her detention, Movlamli shared a pre-recorded video message on her Facebook page, anticipating her arrest. "Even if I had known back then that my destination would be prison, and that all independent journalists would be labeled as smugglers, it wouldn’t have changed a single thing I’ve done," she declared. She accused Ilham Aliyev of being "the biggest smuggler, the patron of smugglers," and asserted that her imprisonment was due to her journalistic activities.
Her friend, Gulnara Rahimova, reported that police searched Movlamli’s home, confiscating 2,000 euros and her sister’s phone. Movlamli is the tenth journalist detained in connection with the "Meydan TV" case.
Meydan TV maintains that the detentions and interrogations of its journalists are illegal and directly linked to their professional work.
Since late 2023, over 20 journalists and media workers have been detained in Azerbaijan. The 2024 report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) placed Azerbaijan among the countries with the highest number of imprisoned journalists.
While the Azerbaijani government claims the detentions are based on specific criminal acts, human rights organizations, including the CPJ, view them as politically motivated attacks on independent media. Local human rights organizations estimate that there are over 350 political prisoners in Azerbaijan. Official Baku consistently denies allegations of politically motivated imprisonments.
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