Prominent Azerbaijani lawyer Zabil Gahramanov goes on trial

Zabil Gahramanov

The trial of a prominent Azerbaijani defence lawyer who has spent nearly nine months in pre-trial detention has begun in the western city of Ganja.

Zabil Gahramanov faces charges of hooliganism and fraud, which his defence team has dismissed as entirely baseless and politically motivated. During a preliminary hearing at Ganja City Court on 8 July 2026, his lawyers filed motions to have the criminal case dismissed or, alternatively, for Mr Gahramanov to be released under house arrest.

The court also rejected a defence request to allow Mr Gahramanov to sit next to his legal counsel rather than inside a glass dock, despite no objections from the alleged victims.

"Despite the fact that the victims did not object, the judge left our motion unconsidered without taking our views into account," Mr Gahramanov’s lawyer, Saadat Seyidli, said.

Judge Ulkar Babazade adjourned the proceedings until 10 July 2026 to rule on the remaining defence motions.

Mr Gahramanov, who works for the Ganja Regional Bar Association, was arrested on 23 October 2025. Prosecutors allege that on the day of his arrest, he injured a car wash employee during an altercation and separately defrauded a client of 5,600 Azerbaijani manats ($3,300/£2,500) by promising to secure a specific legal outcome.

The lawyer denies all charges, arguing that the allegations are fabricated and that the complainants are being used by authorities to punish him for his legal work. His arrest came just two weeks after his licence to practise law was suspended for six months following a complaint by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Mr Gahramanov is well known in Azerbaijan for defending high-profile clients in politically sensitive cases. His past work includes representing victims of the "Terter case" — a notorious military torture scandal — as well as defence work for various civil society activists.

His detention has drawn sharp criticism from local and international human rights watchdogs.

The Institute for the Rule of Law of the International Association of Lawyers (UIA-IROL) warned in a statement that his prosecution appeared to be directly linked to his professional duties and his vocal criticism of police misconduct in Azerbaijan.