Azerbaijan court rejects massive compensation claim over soldier's torture death

An Azerbaijani court has awarded 40,000 manats (£18,400) to the father of a soldier tortured to death in military custody, rejecting his five-million-manat compensation claim.

Ilham Ocaqverdiyev had sought five million manats (£2.3m) in moral damages and 310,000 manats (£142,000) for material losses following the death of his son, Ruslan. The Nasimi District Court in Baku rejected the material claim entirely.

In her ruling, Judge Afsana Heydarova argued that the passage of nine years since the tragedy had lessened the family’s grief. She stated that the purpose of moral damages was to provide psychological comfort, not enrichment.

"The passage of a certain period of time after the incident is also a factor affecting the amount of moral compensation," Judge Heydarova said. "With the passage of time, the degree of moral shock can be relatively reduced compared to earlier periods."

Ruslan Ocaqverdiyev, a 32-year-old deputy platoon commander, died in May 2017 after being subjected to severe torture aimed at extracting a false confession of espionage.

According to court documents submitted by his father, the soldier was bound with adhesive tape, waterboarded, and subjected to electric shocks. An autopsy later revealed that his internal organs had ruptured from the beatings.

Mr Ocaqverdiyev said the tragedy shattered his family. His son’s body was delivered to their village by Ministry of Defence officials and buried hastily without family consent, under the stigma of being a "traitor".

"The rumours and public condemnation regarding my child were unbearable for us as parents," Mr Ocaqverdiyev said. "As a result, his mother could not bear this calamity and died shortly after."

He added that his son had been the family's sole financial provider. His daughter-in-law, Ravana Ocaqverdiyeva, was previously awarded 50,000 manats (£23,000) in a separate court ruling.

The death of Ruslan Ocaqverdiyev was part of a wider purge in May 2017, known as the "Terter cases", in which hundreds of Azerbaijani military personnel were accused of spying for neighbouring Armenia.

At least 11 service members died under interrogation, and 452 people have since been officially recognised as victims of the state-sponsored torture.

A Baku military court has already legally established that Ruslan Ocaqverdiyev was tortured to death, leading to the conviction of 13 lower-level military personnel.

However, victims’ families and survivors argue that the prosecutions have been too lenient and have shielded high-ranking commanders.

Some survivors and relatives of those who died have now taken their cases to the European Court of Human Rights, which has begun communicating with the Azerbaijani government over the claims.