Rüzgar's murderer sentenced to 14 years and 6 months in prison

The Baku Court of Grave Crimes announced the final verdict in the case of the murder of queer young citizen Rüzgar on May 6. The court, presided over by Judge Elman Rustamov, sentenced 19-year-old Rüzgar's uncle, Babek Ibadov, to 14 years and 6 months in prison for killing them in November last year. The public prosecutor had demanded a 17-year prison sentence for Ibadov.

The trial, which began on January 26 and lasted 3 months and 10 days, once again showed how weak the justice system is in the face of hate crimes committed against the LGBTQ+ community in Azerbaijan.

Another painful detail of the trial was the position of Rüzgar's family. Their father, Seymur Ibadov, stated in court that they had "declared reconciliation" with his brother. Their mother, who is known as Rüzgar's legal heir, announced that she had forgiven the murderer.

Ibadov also tried to evade punishment throughout the trial. Although his lawyer requested a psychiatric examination in March and early April, both requests were rejected.

It should be noted that Rüzgar, who lived in Turkey, came to Baku for only 10 days to renew their foreign passport. On November 6, 2025, they were murdered by their uncle on Bashir Safaroglu Street behind Targovi.

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