An Azerbaijani child was forced to marry a man in the village of Khoshchobanly, Masalli province of Azerbaijan, where she was reportedly tortured to death two weeks after the wedding.
In a joint statement, the Prosecutor General´s Office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan said a medical examination found injuries were found in the neck, back and behind the right arm on the body of 16-year-old Fatima Gambarova.
An investigation has been launched into the incident.
According to the findings of the initial investigation and the conclusion of the forensic expertise, the cause of death was strangulation. Gambarova is thought to have been choked in a family conflict by 18-year-old Iman Mammadov, whom she married two weeks ago.
Vezir Huseynov, executive representative of the Hasanli village in Masalli confirmed the recent marriage of a 16-year-old teenager to Meydan TV.
"Yes, two weeks ago, Fatima was married in the village of Khoshchobanly and today we have got the news about the girl’s death," he said.
Huseynov did not elaborate over the reason of the incident.
Fatima was raised by her grandmother and grandfather in Russia. Gambarova’s grandparents reportedly came to Azerbaijan to marry her in their native land. After the wedding they returned to Russia.
The husband of the young bride, Mammadov, has been detained and allegedly confessed to committing the crime.
Given the legislation of the Azerbaijan Republic and international conventions, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child, persons under the age of 18 are registered a child and their marriage is illegal.
Women’s rights activists in Azerbaijan say stronger legislation is needed to prevent girls from being married off as children.
