Ramin Jabrayilzade (Deko) - journalist of the Meydan TV, an online Azerbaijani media outlet Date of arrest: 6 December 2024 Charge: Articles 192.2.2 (Illegal business, committed with gaining an extra large-scale income); 192.2.3 (Illegal business, committed by organized group); 193-1.3.1 (Legalization of money or other property obtained by crime, committed by an organized group or a criminal organization (criminal association); 193-1.3.2 (Legalization of money or other property obtained by crime, committed in large amount); 206.4 (Smuggling, committed by the organized group); 213.2.1 (Evasion from payment of taxes, committed by the organized group); 320.1 (Fake of certificate or other official document giving the rights or releasing from duties, with a view of its use or selling of such document, as well as manufacturing in same purposes or selling of counterfeit state awards of the Azerbaijan Republic, stamps, seals, forms) and 320.2 (Use of obviously counterfeit documents) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic. On 8 December 2024, the Baku City Khatai District Court issued a ruling: to apply a preventive measure against Ramin Jabrayilzade (Deko) in the form of arrest for a period of 4 months. The period of detention in custody during the investigation has been subsequently extended times Place of detention: Pre-trial Detention Center № 1 at the Kyurdakhani settlement in Baku City Sabunchu District Conclusion: On 6 December 2024, the Baku City Khatai District Police arrested 6 employees of the Meydan TV. The arrest included a freelance journalist, Ramin Jabrayilzade, who frequently appears under the name ‘Ramin Deco’. He was on his way back home from Georgia, where he had been covering the Tbilisi protests, and was detained at the Baku airport. Following that, the same day at around 13:00, the police detained the editor-in-chief of the Meydan TV, Aynur Qanbarova (Elgunash), as well as journalists Aytaj Ahmadova (Taptiq), Hayala Agayeva, Natiq Javadli and Aysel Umudova. Later in the evening, the Ministry of Interior Affaires Press Service stated that ‘a citizen Ramin Jabrayilzade was detained by the police on the basis of received information due to the illegal importation of foreign currency into the country”. And further the MIA noted that ‘several other people have been detained as part of the investigation”. Meanwhile, all the employees were detained for 48 hours and their lawyers were not allowed in. A journalist working for Meydan TV anonymously explained that ‘of course, they will allow 20 lawyers later, but first of all they want to take testimonies of our colleagues and deprive them of qualified legal assistance”. Then the police searched all the arrestees’ houses, including Ramin Jabrayilzade’s flat. Initially, Ramin Jabrayilzade was charged with involvement in smuggling, which he denied. On 28 August 2025, Ramin Jabrayilzade, as the other accused in the case of Meydan TV, was charged with additional seven articles of the AR Criminal Code The editorial staff of the Meydan TV called the detention and interrogation of the journalists illegal and denied the accusations in its statement. The arrest of all employees of the Baku Meydan TV caused a wide resonance and disapproval among many politicians and representatives of the Azerbaijani civil society. The arrest also provoked a negative reaction abroad.