State Repression Sparks Youth Uproar over 17-Year-Old Student’s Mysterious Death

Elgun İbrahimov

On May 13, 2025, 17-year-old high-school student Elgun Ibrahimov was found severely injured in the courtyard of an unused dormitory belonging to the Azerbaijan Technology University (ATU) in Ganja. Though taken to the city hospital, he succumbed to his injuries several hours later. Officially, investigators concluded that Elgun died after a fall from the fifth-floor balcony. Yet his family, classmates, and a growing community of young activists reject that narrative—accusing authorities of covering up a fatal beating. Over the following weeks, peaceful protests in Baku and grassroots mobilization in Gazakh sparked a harsh police response, leaving dozens of minors detained and threatening to escalate tensions nationwide.

According to the joint statement issued on May 29 by the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), and the State Security Service, Elgun sold his mobile phone on the afternoon of May 12 to repay personal debts. Around 4 PM, he left a tutoring center, met friends at the “Nakhish” teahouse in Ganja, and drank alcohol with them. At roughly 7:40 PM, he parted ways with his friends near City Hospital No. 1 named after Abbas Sehhet—bearing no visible injuries at that time.

Shortly thereafter, at 8:17 PM, Elgun bought two packs of cigarettes and went alone to ATU’s disused dormitory at 115 M. Khalafov Street. There, he climbed onto an unguarded balcony on the fifth floor, smoked cigarettes, and then fell onto the hard courtyard surface below, sustaining multiple severe injuries. A guard found him at 10:52 PM and rushed him to the hospital, where he died on May 13 from those injuries.

Investigators “ruled out suicide, accidental fall, or third-party violence” by reviewing witness statements, surveillance footage, Elgun’s phone data, forensic genetic and medical reports, and other evidence—ultimately concluding that “no injuries were inflicted on Elgun Ibrahimov by any third party, and no violent acts were committed against him.”

Yet the teenager’s family remains unconvinced. His uncle, Rovshan Zeynalov, told local media at Elgun’s funeral:

“The child’s head was crushed. This is brutality. The people who beat him must be found and punished. They give various versions, but these are empty talks. The real criminals must be uncovered.”

Baku Uproar: Youth Detentions Ahead of June 1 Protest

By late May, social media campaigns and leaked videos purporting to show marks of violence on Elgun’s body had inflamed public sentiment. Clusters of schoolchildren and student activists organized a rally in downtown Baku on June 1, demanding a transparent investigation into his death.

Organizers scheduled the demonstration to gather outside the Azerbaijan State University of Oil and Industry at noon, then proceed toward the “28 May” metro station. However, roughly one hour before the start, plainclothes police officers began detaining anyone loitering nearby—handing out blanket arrests. Over 50, and possibly as many as 63, protest participants and passersby (many of them minors) were taken into custody.

“I asked one of my friends to join me, and when we both approached the location, we were stopped by police officers in civilian clothes. They looked like elderly men. We didn’t even believe them at first, but they showed us their IDs,” one detained protester told OC Media on condition of anonymity.

Phones were confiscated; personal messages and contacts were scrutinized. Posters—readied for the protest—were seized. Detainees were handcuffed, forced to keep their heads down, roughly pushed into police cars, and had their photos taken inside. At the Nasimi District Police Department’s 22nd unit, officers collected detailed personal data: addresses, family members, schools or workplaces, and fingerprint records.

In the station’s meeting room, about 63 detainees—some as young as 13 or 14—were held for nearly six hours. A police chief reportedly taunted the group:

“Who are you to demand justice? If I see you at a rally again, I’ll not let you leave alive. Next time, you won’t get away with a smile,” he allegedly said, also insisting Elgun had committed suicide because “his mother was depraved” and he “didn’t get along with his classmates.”

Nevertheless, many detainees refused to bow to intimidation. Nigar Aliyeva (a pseudonym) recounted:

“When the police charged at us, I was not afraid. I believe we must not stay silent in the face of this injustice.”

Another activist added:

“When I saw information about Elgun, I realized he was only two years younger than me. I could have been in his place. Someone could have killed me too, and our police would have said it was a suicide—that’s why I was there.”

Gazakh’s Schoolchildren and Local Harassment

On May 26—three days before the official joint statement—around a dozen schoolchildren in the Gazakh district, moved by Elgun’s story, recruited civic activist Nijat Amiraslanov to paste flyers and place posters throughout the town. Almost immediately afterward, Nijat was detained on charges of petty hooliganism and sentenced to 15 days of administrative detention.

Residents of Gazakh report that local police summoned teachers, school directors, and property owners to the station—questioning them about the posters. Two students from School No. 3 allegedly paid bribes of ₼2,000 ($1,200) to secure their release. A Gazakh resident told OC Media:

“Not only the teenagers, but also school teachers and property owners whose walls had posters were summoned. Some paid bribes. But people are afraid to speak about that.”

Since then, district police reportedly conduct periodic “preventive talks” with school administrators to dissuade further activism.

Official Narrative vs. Widespread Distrust

On May 29, the Interior Ministry, General Prosecutor’s Office, and State Security Service jointly reiterated that “Elgun Ibrahimov did not sustain any injuries inflicted by others, no violent actions were committed against him, and he died from injuries received in a fall from height.” They also confirmed that investigative teams reviewed CCTV footage, forensic reports, and witness statements, all pointing to an accidental or self-inflicted fall.

Yet, the case was immediately placed under tight police oversight; journalists—including those from pro-government outlets—were denied access to interview Elgun’s doctors or family in Ganja. Subsequent media queries to the Interior Ministry have gone unanswered. This opacity has deepened public suspicion.

Following the official statement, social media users launched a widespread “Justice for Elgun” campaign. Hundreds shared original and edited videos showing what they insist are bruises and lacerations on Elgun’s body—calling it evidence of a beating rather than a simple fall. The government’s refusal to invite independent experts, combined with visible marks in leaked footage, convinced many young Azerbaijanis that authorities are covering up a homicide.

Analysis: Youth Mobilization Meets Repression

The detention of teenagers as young as 13 years old—merely for attempting to exercise peaceful protest—underscores an alarming trend. Rather than engage with grieving families or examine independently verifiable evidence, law enforcement has chosen intimidation. By threatening that future protests “won’t leave [detainees] alive,” authorities risk radicalizing a generation already skeptical of official narratives.

Gazakh’s local response—where schoolchildren posted flyers and then witnessed teachers and families extorted for bribes—reveals how fear pervades smaller towns. When students and property owners alike fear reprisal for simply distributing information, civic engagement becomes a hazardous endeavor.

This dynamic has broader implications: if young people are deterred from voicing legitimate concerns, distrust festers. Conversely, heavy-handed crackdowns often fuel further activism. Already, organizers in Baku vow to “expand the scale of the protest” and to participate in all future actions until the case is reopened impartially.

As of early June 2025, Elgun Ibrahimov’s death remains officially classified as a tragic fall. No arrests have been made for alleged assault, and the criminal case appears stalled. Meanwhile, activists have been released after 6–12 hours of detention but remain on edge, fearing future reprisals.