A court hearing has been held in the criminal case against Royal Ismayilov, who is accused of murdering LGBTQ+ community member Orkhan Umayev in Baku. According to reports on the court proceedings, Ismayilov said that he hated LGBTQ+ people, wanted to “punish” them, and had planned in advance to kill not only Orkhan Umayev but also a trans woman named Gunel.
The murder was premeditated
According to Lent.az, at a hearing held in September at the Baku Court on Grave Crimes, presided over by Judge Hafiz Kamranov, the public prosecutor read out the indictment. Royal Ismayilov pleaded guilty to the charges.
According to the indictment, Ismayilov separately arranged to meet Orkhan Umayev and Gunel Allahverdiyeva, whom he had met through social media. On February 15, he travelled from the Tovuz district to Baku, bringing with him a knife he had prepared in advance.
Reports on the court proceedings state that on February 19, Ismayilov contacted Orkhan Umayev via WhatsApp and proposed meeting in exchange for money. They agreed on a payment of 100–150 manats. They met at the Riva Hotel on Ziya Bunyadov Avenue in Baku’s Narimanov district.
According to the indictment, while they were walking up the hotel stairs, Ismayilov stabbed Orkhan Umayev. Orkhan died from his injuries at the scene.
Ismayilov had also arranged to meet Gunel that same day. However, while he was on his way to the meeting place in Baku’s Nasimi district, he was detained by police officers and was therefore unable to carry out his plan to kill a second person.
“I had promised myself that I would punish and eliminate people like them”
In its report on the court proceedings, Lent.az quoted Royal Ismayilov’s testimony. The defendant explained his hatred of LGBTQ+ people as follows:
“I have always hated people who live this kind of lifestyle. Children are raised through countless hardships and poverty, and then they adopt the lifestyle of people like these, go astray and make their families miserable. All of this caused anger and hatred in me. I had promised myself that, to the extent I was able and had the power to do so, I would punish and eliminate people like them.”
In his testimony, Ismayilov also said that he had planned his meetings with Orkhan and Gunel in advance. After returning from Turkey, he contacted both of them through social media. The statements made by the defendant in his testimony repeat homophobic stereotypes that accuse LGBTQ+ people of having a negative influence on children and adolescents. He used these beliefs to justify violence and explain his intention to kill people.
Royal Ismayilov is charged under Articles 120.2.2 (murder committed with hooligan motives) and 120.2.7 (murder of two or more persons) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan and has been remanded in custody pending trial.
The indictment does not separately identify homophobic hatred as a motive for the murder, even though the defendant stated in his testimony that he hated LGBTQ+ people and had planned to kill them. Because the LGBTQ+ community is not recognised as a specifically protected social group under Azerbaijan’s anti-discrimination legislation, this case raises serious concerns about our being targeted because of our identity and the inadequacy of legal protections against such crimes.
