Gay Activist and Journalist Allegedly Stabbed to Death by Cousin
statement from the prosecutor’s office said that the young man's cousin fatally stabbed him after an argument. The cousin had been under the influence of alcohol.
Authorities said they are still investigating the case.A friend of the activist told PinkNews Hafizli had his penis cut off. “It is safe to say that the act itself was directed to Avaz’s identity as [a] gay person,” the friend said.“The whole queer community is in panic now, because this violence keeps being justified in the media and even praised by some politicians,” another friend told the website.Hafizli was an outspoken activist.
He was also a journalist with the local news station 13Kanal. Last September, Hafizli chained himself to the fence in front of the country’s Prosecutor General’s Office while protesting the treatment of LGBTQ+ people in the country.
International LGBTQ+ rights group ILGA Europe reported that Azerbaijan occupies the last place among 49 countries on the organization's Rainbow Index, a survey of LGBTQ+ protections and rights.Global Voices notes the Azerbaijani government has increased crackdowns against LGBTQ+ people in recent years.
