European Court rules Azerbaijan must pay 37,000 euros for death of detainee

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled in the case Shuria Zeynalov v. Azerbaijan and fined the Azerbaijani state 37,000 euros.  

Shuria Zeynalov blamed the state for the death of his son Turaj Zeynalov in 2011.

According to 72-year-old Shuria Zeynalov, in 2011 his 31-year-old son Turaj Zeynalov died after being tortured in the Ministry of State Security of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.

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The ECHR recognised violations of two articles of the Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the actions of Azerbaijan: the right to life and the non-use of torture.

What happened in 2011?

Turaj Zeynalov was detained by officers of the special services of Nakhichevan on charges of spying for Iran.  

On August 28, 2011, the detainee’s condition deteriorated sharply, and a decision was made to hospitalize Zeynalov, but he died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital.

After the incident, photographs and videos appeared in the Azerbaijani media showing the death of Turaj Zeynalov as a result of torture.  These photos and videos are currently not available online.

According to the investigation, the detainee died of cancer, but Zeynalov’s father appealed to law enforcement agencies with a statement about the deliberate murder of his son. The court did not accept the statement of the parents of the deceased.  

In 2012, the Zeynalov family appealed to the parliament of Nakhichevan AR with a complaint against the actions of the republic’s judicial authorities, but they were not answered.

Against the background of these events, the Zeynalov family was persecuted by the special services.