Azerbaijan conscript's family allege murder amid funeral filming ban

The family of an Azerbaijani conscript who died two months into his national service have accused the authorities of a cover-up, alleging he was killed and that police blocked filming of his funeral.

Natiq Mammadov, who served in the State Border Service (DSX) in the Nakhchivan enclave, died on 1 June. While local media reported he died of measles, his family have strongly rejected the claim.

Yesterday they deployed 20 to 30 police officers here so that no one could film," his father, Namiq Mammadov, said in a video published by local independent outlet HamamTimes. "Did I kill someone? Did I steal... that they deployed this many police?"

His death follows a similar incident last month involving another border guard, Ramin Jabrayilov, whose family also doubted official claims of suicide and said police banned filming at his funeral.

The Caspian Defence Studies Institute (CDSI), an independent monitoring group, says at least 22 Azerbaijani servicemen have died in non-combat conditions this year, including six in the DSX.

CDSI director Jasur Mammadov told independent outlet Toplum TV that the border service's silence suggested "some secret process" was being hidden from the public.

The lack of immediate explanation, transparency, and accountability is directly related to this," Mammadov said. He called for the resignation of DSX head Elchin Guliyev, who has led the agency for more than a decade.

Non-combat deaths in Azerbaijan's conscript-heavy military have long sparked public anger, including major protests in the capital, Baku, in 2013. The CDSI recorded at least 43 non-combat military deaths in 2025.

Independent reporting on the issue is increasingly difficult in Azerbaijan, where independent media and non-governmental organisations have faced severe state restrictions in recent years.