Conflict between families of deceased soldiers and Azerbaijani authorities may soon be resolved

A long-running issue concerning monetary compensation for the families of Azerbaijani soldiers who lost their lives in the Karabakh conflict may soon come to an end.

Since October last year, around 100 families of servicemen and policemen who died or went missing in the Karabakh war have held rallies demanding financial compensation.

Azerbaijani officials, in turn, stated they were ineligible, claiming they had already received compensation in the 1990s. Neither the families nor the government, however, can show that this is the case.

• Read the background story here: No compensation for families of Azerbaijani soldiers killed in Karabakh

President Ilham Aliyev met with representatives of the families on 28 January and said that they would receive 11,000 manat [a little over $6,400 -ed].

The compensation conflict – background

In April 2018, Aliyev ordered that one-time payouts of 11,000 manat be given to the families of the dead or missing in the Karabakh War. The payments began in October, but about 100 families were excluded because officials believe they had already received payments in the 1990s.

The relatives of the victims themselves claimed that this was not the case, and began holding weekly rallies in front of the presidential office and other state structures.

There are still no official messages about the presidential decree.