Fatima Movlamly – a freelance journalist Date of arrest: 28 February 2025 Charge: Article 206.3.2 (Smuggling, is moving large amount through customs border of the Republic of Azerbaijan of goods or other subjects, committed on preliminary arrangement by group of persons) of the Criminal Code of the Azerbaijan Republic.
On 1 March 2025, the Baku City Khatai District Court issued a ruling: to apply a preventive measure against Fatima Movlamly in the form of arrest for a period of 1 months and 9 days.
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: Fatima Movlamly, a well-known journalist, was repeatedly subjected to pressure while reporting on the streets of Baku in 2022-2023.
When the arrests of Meydan TV journalists commenced, Fatima Movlamly actively covered those detentions, publicly condemned them.
She was even sure that she would be arrested as well, therefore she signed a prearranged agreement with her lawyer Bakhtiyar Hajiyev.
However, on the day of her arrest on 28 February, lawyer Bakhtiyar Hajiyev was not able to deal with Movlamly's case, as he is outside Baku and publicly appealed to other lawyers and human rights activists for someone to temporarily replace him.
According to the official version of the authorities, Movlamly was arrested in the Meydan TV case and during a search under her mattress police officers found 13,500 euros in her house.
However, in court, F.
Movlamly and later in an interview her mother categorically denied this fact, saying that the police officers had openly planted the money themselves.
F.
Movlamly denied the accusations of smuggling and indicated to the Court that she had no regrets whatsoever for having taken up the occupation of active independent journalism.
"We are arrested for being independent journalists and we do not regret it in any way.
The first day I am released, I will be going out to prepare a report.
Be well, see you in a few years," said Fatima Movlamly. 31
