Teenager from orphanage in Baku placed in psychiatric hospital for "criticism"
Teenager placed in psychiatric hospital
Sixteen-year-old Magomed Hajiyev, formerly resident at an orphanage in Baku, has been placed under psychiatric care for attempting to expose corruption at the orphanage on social media. The head doctor at the hospital declared that the teen was not mentally ill, and was fired the next day.
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Children steal food
In an interview with a local TV channel, Magomed talked about children at Orphanage No.3 in Baku living “from hand to mouth”.
“We are not properly fed. For breakfast, they give out a piece of bread on which they smear a handful of dairy products, which are almost invisible. We beg for food in the buffet and from classmates.”
According to him, the orphanage is provided with everything necessary, but management steals absolutely everything:
“Everything is taken out of meat. We are given only bones and fat. Only rotten fruits are given, everything else is withheld by staff.”
The day after this interview, Magomed Hajiyev found himself in psychiatric hospital No. 1 in Baku.
“He’s mentally ill”
In an interview with television, Ulker Babayeva, deputy director of Orphanage No. 3, said Magomed had always been distinguished by “bad behavior”:
“The truth is that Magomed was repeatedly caught stealing in the orphanage and disobeyed the rules of conduct of the institution. We informed the relevant authorities about this.
He was repeatedly treated in a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of behavioral disorders.
Journalists at the orphanage confirmed that Magomed Hajiyev was in a psychiatric hospital.”
Head physician of psychiatric hospital: “He is not sick”
In an interview with sitat.az, Agagasan Rasulov, head physician of psychiatric hospital No. 1 in Baku, said Magomed Hajiyev was not sick:
“He has some psychological deviations, but very minor. Such deviations can be found in half of the city’s population. And should half of the population be treated by us?
He was sent from the orphanage, and we’ve tried to send him back, but he is not accepted there. They want him to retract his words first.”
Rasulov made this statement one day ago, and today, by order of the Minister of Health of the country, he was fired. The official reason is the doctor’s age.
After his dismissal, Dr. Rasulov, in an interview with local publications, said he stands by his opinion: “He is not mentally ill.”
Director of orphanage denies it
“I didn’t say that. He is a child, what did he do to even ask for my forgiveness?” Makhbuba Huseynova, head of the orphanage, said an interview.
According to her, she has never even met Dr Rasulov:
“Yes, he was sent here again, but his documents were not in order. They came from the State Committee for Family, Women and Children and said that they would put his documents in order and bring him to a shelter.
In other words, he won’t stay in a psychiatric clinic, but will return here.”
Makhbuba Huseynova has twice in the last two years found herself in the news.
In 2021, video from this orphanage appeared on social networks, showing the dire state at the orphanage. After the publication of that video, Huseynova was punished with a reprimand.
Last year, Guljan Nagiyeva, who previously worked as an assistant teacher in the same orphanage, posted a video in which she accused Makhbuba Huseynova of stealing meat. According to the woman, meat was brought to children in the orphanage on Eid al-Adha, but was taken out of the orphanage in the director’s car.
The bitter fate of four brothers
20-year-old Ali Hajiyev, Magomed’s older brother, told reporters about the bitter fate of his family.
“We, four brothers, lived with my mother. In addition to me and Magomed, there are two more younger ones, 12 and 13. Our mother was sick, she was bedridden.
In order not to remain homeless, in 2014 I decided to go on TV and talk about us. We asked live to be placed in an orphanage. And so it happened. Thanks to the director, she helped in the treatment of my mother too. But our mother passed away in 2016.
My younger brothers were adopted. The last time I spoke with my 13-year-old brother was a year ago, there is no connection with the younger one.
Magomed was also adopted once, but the family soon abandoned him,” Ali said.