Retaliatory Suspension and Prosecution of Lawyer Zabil Gahramanov

Zabil Gahramanov, a veteran lawyer from Ganja known for defending victims of torture and politically motivated prosecutions, was suspended by the Bar Council of Azerbaijan in early October and detained two weeks later on fabricated charges of “fraud” and “hooliganism.” His case demonstrates how the authorities are now extending the crackdown even stronger to the legal profession, albeit the persecution of human rights lawyers has always been part of the repression targeting human rights defenders, civil society, media and opposition in the country.

The Campaign’s analysis traces the fusion of disciplinary and criminal mechanisms used to silence Gahramanov, linking his prosecution to earlier patterns of repression described in “Quest for Justice in a Climate of Unprecedented Repression” (September 2024) and “Azerbaijan’s Defiance: A Decade of Contempt for the Council of Europe” (December 2024).

It shows how the Bar Council acts under executive control, the judiciary remains subservient to the Presidential Administration, and criminal proceedings are weaponised to punish criticism. The case reflects the structural collapse of the rule of law and a profound threat to access to justice.

The Campaign urges the Council of Europe and its Committee of Ministers to treat the case as a test of credibility. Zabil Gahramanov’s detention replicates patterns already condemned under Article 18 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Continued inaction would confirm that justice itself has become a punishable offence in Azerbaijan.