He was arrested at his father’s farm and transferred to prison. According to local websites, he spent 110 days in custody.

He was charged with “Propaganda against the Regime” for attending a journalism seminar in the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as for his poetry. He was released on a US$20,000 bail on September 25th 2011. Eventually, he was sentenced to six months in prison and the Appeal Court confirmed the initial verdict.

He surrendered himself on the June 26th 2012, to serve the sentence in Tabriz Prison, but since he had already spent 3 months and 20 days of the total 6 months in custody, he applied and was eligible for early release. The judge reviewed his case and granted him his freedom on July 21st, 2012.

Prior to this, Moghanli was arrested along with three other journalists in Tehran on September 10th 2008. He was released from custody on a US$50,000 bail two months later.

The young Azeri poet is a well-known figure in Azerbaijan and has worked with many local and Azeri journals. He has also published various books, the last of which was a best seller in Azerbaijan.