STATEMENT: Hate-motivated murder must be investigated immediately and transparently

On November 4, 2025, Rüzgar was brutally murdered with multiple stab wounds on Bashir Safaroglu Street in Baku. According to the information obtained, the murder was committed by their uncle.

Sources report that witnesses did not intervene and the police arrived at the scene only after the murderer himself called. It is alleged that the victim was not provided with adequate medical care.

It is reported that Rüzgar is queer, and the murder was motivated by hatred related to their sexual orientation. They are from the Shamakhi region, lived in Turkey for a while, but returned to Azerbaijan after their residence permit expired. According to information, Rüzgar had been threatened by their uncle and cousin since they were in Turkey. The uncle who committed the murder had previously served a prison sentence. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has not yet issued an official statement on the incident.

Minority Azerbaijan calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to take the following steps:

• A prompt, impartial and transparent investigation intoüRuzgar’s murder; the presence of a hate motive should be investigated as one of the main directions of the investigation;
• All those who committed or encouraged the crime should be held accountable;
• The victim’s family and witnesses should be protected against harassment and intimidation;
• Reforms should be implemented to include hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity in criminal law;
• State authorities should publicly condemn anti-LGBTQI+ hatred and launch public awareness campaigns promoting the principles of equality.

Azerbaijan has been ranked last out of 49 European countries in the ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index for 9 years now. In 2025, the country’s score was only 2 percent.

This murder once again demonstrates the dangerous consequences of systemic queerphobia, public silence and government indifference in the country. Failure to recognize the incident as a hate crime and adequately investigate it is a violation of the right to life and freedom from discrimination.

Justice for the Wind means an end to hate crimes in Azerbaijan.

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