2025
2025
2025-10-21
In recent years, the military operations launched by Azerbaijan have contributed to an increase in suicides within its armed forces. Following the April Four-Day War of 2016, the 2020 clashes in the Tavush direction, and the 44-Day War, numerous cases of suicide have been recorded among servicemen. The number is particularly high among those who took part in the military operations. Although the Azerbaijani authorities often present these incidents merely as consequences of social difficulties or mental disorders, an analysis of facts indicates that the real causes are deeper. They are linked to internal problems within the Azerbaijani army, psychological pressure, and post-war trauma. The authorities often attempt to conceal this phenomenon, avoiding the exposure of systemic problems in the armed forces.
Servicemen who committed suicide after the April Four-Day War:
Ahmad Naghiyev, a resident of the village of Banka in the Neftchala district and a former serviceman, committed suicide in his home. He had been interrogated in connection with the “Tartar case” and subjected to torture.
Fazil Abdiyev, a participant in the Four-Day War, committed suicide by hanging himself in his home in the city of Tovuz. The authorities linked Abdiyev’s suicide to mental disorders.
Parvin Fatullayev, a 29-year-old resident of the village of Nazaroba in the Masalli district, hanged himself in his apartment. Before the incident, Fatullayev had posted a video recording. Some time later, the war participant committed suicide.
Servicemen who took part in the military operations launched in July 2020 in Armenia’s Tavush region are no exception. R. Musayev, a resident of the village of Gazgulu in the Tovuz district, was found hanged in his apartment. The reasons for the suicide have not been solved.
We have thoroughly addressed the cases of servicemen who committed suicide after the 44-Day War in our previous reports; however, their number has increased.
Kanan Gojayev, a 26-year-old resident of the Hajigabul district, worked as a military instructor at the secondary school in the village of Navahi. After attempting suicide, Gojayev was first taken to the Hajigabul district central hospital, where his condition was assessed as critical. However, the life of the former serviceman could not be saved.
Aykhan Bayramov, 33, was a resident of the village of Ikinji Mahmudlu in the Fuzuli district. The father of two minor children committed suicide by hanging.
In the Beylagan district, mother found 34-year-old Ilkin Ismayilov hanging in his home in the village of Kabirli. The former serviceman was married and had three children.
The suicide of Bagruz Karimov, a resident of the village of Laki in Aghdash, was reported by investigative journalist Kamil Hamzaoğli. The former serviceman’s suicide was attributed to health problems.
Tabriz Aliyev committed suicide by hanging in the village of Safikurd in the Goranboy district. It is reported that the 44-Day War participant had personal problems, which led to his suicide.
Ilkin Ismayilov, 24, was a resident of the village of Amirvan in the Gabala district. The former serviceman hanged himself in the yard of his home.
Imdad Gahramanov, 26, lived in the village of Aghjuyur in the Imishli district. The 44-Day War participant is another serviceman who committed suicide for “unknown reasons.”
The large number of suicides in the Azerbaijani army indicates serious and deep-rooted problems within the system. Although pro-government media outlets avoid an objective assessment of these cases, opposition figures and international media attempt to shed light on their real causes. In particular, post-traumatic stress disorders, the lack of social and psychological support, the deliberate killings of servicemen during duty, and the repressions by superiors are only part of what is happening in the Azerbaijani army.