Your trusted source

Veteran of Karabakh war, Mirtahir Mursalov, committed demonstrative self-immolation in Azerbaijan in front of the building of the Police department of the Jalilabad district, Azerbaijani news portal Haqqin.az reports, citing the newspaper Yeni Musavat.

According to the article, the veteran’s brother Mirkamil Mursalov said that Mirtahir burnt himself to protest against the district administration not dealing with his problem. According to the report, Mirtahir Mursalov has been placed in the burn unit of hospital No 5, Baku.

Azerbaijani service RFE/RL says the doctors have told the veteran’s brother that he has no chance to survive.

Mahira Mursalova, the veteran’s wife, sent a telegram to the head of state, Ilham Aliyev, regarding the incident, the article reads.

This is already the second similar case in Jalilabad district. A few days ago, Karabakh war veteran Hasan Abidinov hanged himself in the boiler room of a residential building in Jalilabad. Abidinov was married and had two children.

The discussion of the problems of Karabakh war veterans and those disabled as a result of the war actualized in Azerbaijan after December 25, 2013, when Karabakh war 2nd group disabled Zaur Hasanov committed a self-immolation in Baku as an act of protest against the violation of his civil rights by Settar Mehbaliev, the chairman of Azerbaijan confederation of trade unions. The disabled, father of three, argued that the official seized his territory, where he ran a small café. Karabakh war veterans held protests against this incident in Baku on December 26 and 27.