LGBTI+ activist Avaz Hafizli was murdered

LGBTI+ rights activist and journalist Avaz Hafizli was murdered. The Prosecutor General's Office and the Interior Ministry issued a joint statement in this regard.

Homicide was registered in Balakhani settlement of Sabunchu region today at 16:00. According to officials, 24-year-old Amrulla Gulaliyev stabbed his cousin, his peer Avaz Shikhmammadov (Hafizli).

According to preliminary investigations, Gulaliyev was intoxicated at the time of the crime, and in his testimony he admitted that he committed the crime on the basis of a personal dispute between them.

A criminal case has been launched under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code. Gulaliyev was detained and handed over for investigation.

Journalist Avaz Hafizli chained himself to the Prosecutor General's Office in September last year to protest the failure to take any action, despite an official appeal to the prosecutor's office on the threats and insults against him and his family by transphobic and homophobic blogger Sevinj Huseynova.

In addition, journalist Avaz Hafizli attempted suicide on the night of September 4-5 after being threatened by Sevinj Huseynova.

For several years in a row, Azerbaijan has been ranked last in the ILGA European rainbow ranking among 49 European countries in terms of LGBTI+ rights. Anti-LGBTI+ hate crimes regularly occur in the country.