Children's Rights

51 Posts

•

0 Followers

Deniz Aghayev being beaten and dragged away by the police. Screengrab via social media.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani police officer caught on camera beating 12-year-old boy

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•1 min read

Police officers have been filmed attacking a 12-year-old boy in Northern Azerbaijan, with local reports indicating that the child, his father, and uncle, were all detained following the incident. On Sunday, footage surfaced on social media showing officers attacking a boy, identified as 12-year-old Deniz Aghayev, and his father, Sakhavat Aghayev, in the village of Vandam in Gabala District. In the video, a uniformed police officer is seen kicking Deniz Aghayev while he is on the ground, and

A photograph of Aitaj Shakhmarova. Image via ambebi.ge

child marriage

Family of 14-year-old murdered in Georgia charged with complicity in her early marriage

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•4 min read

A Georgian court has charged the mother and uncle of 14-year-old Aitaj Shakhmarova, who was murdered in early October, with forced marriage of a minor. Local media reported on Friday that the minor had been kidnapped and forced into marriage by 27-year-old Asim Aslanov two months prior to the incident, and shot dead when she tried to escape on 6 October. Police arrested Asim Aslanov on Tuesday after a four-day search, a day after the Telavi district court charged Aslanov in absentia. Asla

Armenia

Armenian police officer faces prosecution after beating minor

by Tata Shoshiashvili

•2 min read

A senior police officer in Dilijan, north Armenia, is facing criminal prosecution after beating a minor working as a waiter. While the incident was reported in May, a criminal case against the officer was only reopened after a video of the incident was widely shared on social media. Armenia’s Investigative Committee stated that while Arsen Ghaitmazyan, the head of the criminal department of the town’s police force, beat the teenager on 10 April, the victim’s parents only addressed law enforcem

CCTV footage from the incident. Via Abzas.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani child dies from injuries sustained in sambo training in school

by Ismi Aghayev

•1 min read

A seven-year-old boy has died in Azerbaijan after sustaining grievous injuries at the hands of his sambo coach. The incident has sparked criticism of the state’s lack of rigorous background checks of school employees. CCTV footage of the incident that took place in a public school in Sumgayit on Sunday emerged on social media showing Mehman Khalilov violently grabbing Farid Bakarov by his hair, then grabbing and lifting him by the neck. The child is then seen losing consciousness and falling o

Photos of injuries allegedly sustained by the girl were posted online by children’s rights activist Kamala Aghazade.

Azerbaijan

Headteacher and local official accused of beating up pupil in Lankaran

by Ismi Aghayev

•1 min read

A criminal investigation has been launched in the southern Azerbaijani city of Lankaran after a school headteacher and local official were accused of beating up a ninth-grade pupil. On Monday, the Lankaran District Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation into the deputy head of the Executive Power of Lankaran District, Rasila Arifgizi (Aliyeva), and the headteacher of the Lankaran School Number 4, Yegane Asgarova. They are being investigated for exceeding official powers, and would face

Azerbaijan

Stepfather charged with rape after 11-year-old gives birth in Azerbaijan

by Ismi Aghayev

•1 min read

An 11-year-old girl has given birth in Azerbaijan in the central Imishli District, leading to the arrest of her step-father. The girl was admitted to the Republican Clinical Hospital in Baku on 29 October where she underwent a caesarean section. The baby, who was delivered six weeks prematurely, passed away on Tuesday, the hospital told Qafqazinfo. On Tuesday, the Social Services Agency said they had taken the girl to a shelter. Also on Tuesday, the Prosecutor General’s Office said they ha

Footage of the ceremony taken from social media.

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani authorities return 15-year-old girl to family after ‘wedding’

by Ismi Aghayev

•2 min read

Authorities in Azerbaijan have returned a 15-year-old girl to her family after she was illegally ‘wed’ in the northern Shaki District. Videos of the marriage ceremony in the village of Kichik Dahna emerged on social media on Tuesday. Forced marriage of a person under the age of 18 is punishable in Azerbaijan by a fine of ₼3,000–₼4,000 ($1,800–$2,400) or restrictions on freedom for up to four years. Sex with a person under the age of 16 is punishable by up to three years in prison. After th