Activists criticize Azeri authorities' attitude towards veterans

Elvin Djafarov, a participant in the Karabakh war, could not find a job with a good salary; several times he unsuccessfully turned to officials; and unresolved problems led to his death, his brother has stated. Azerbaijani authorities fail to cope with war veterans' and invalids' problems, local NGOs believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Azeri veterans of the Karabakh war complain about their poor social conditions and authorities' insufficient attention to their problems. On July 12, Elvin Djafarov, a Karabakh war veteran, died after a suicide attempt he committed in Azerbaijan, near the building of the regional government.

Veterans of the Karabakh war and family members of the casualties therein are offered low-paid jobs like builders and waiters, combatants complained in October 2021.

Elvin Djafarov's brother said that Elvin received contusion at the frontline, after the war he was assigned the Category III disability status. According to the brother, after the veteran's death, his two minor sons became orphans.

The veteran's neighbours, Ilgar Mamedov and Mirismail Tagiev, said that Djafarov had complained about poverty and the government's inattention to veterans' needs.

According to journalist, Seimur Kyazymov, apart from Djafarov, other 35 veterans of the Karabakh wars have committed suicide. "In all cases, authorities' indifference can be treated as the reason. Not a single official has been punished," he has added.

Vusal Azaev, a war veteran, said that veterans need psychological support more than money.