Salatyn Aziz qizi Asgarova (also spelled Salatyn Askerova; az, Salatın Əziz qızı Əsgərova; 16 December 1961 – 9 January 1991) is a

National Hero of Azerbaijan The National Hero of Azerbaijan ( az, Azərbaycan milli qəhrəmanı) is the highest Hero (title), national title in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The title was named on 25 March 1992, and the "Qizil Ulduz" Medal awarded as a sign of receiving this t ...

. She was one of the Azerbaijani

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

s killed in the

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...

Life

Salatyn Aziz qizi Asgarova was born on 16 December 1961 in

Baku, Azerbaijan Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world an ...

. After finishing secondary school, she entered

Azerbaijan Oil and Chemistry Institute Azerbaijan State Oil and Industrial University (formerly Azerbaijan State Oil Academy) ( az, Azərbaycan Dövlət Neft və Sənaye Universiteti, Азәрбајҹан Дөвләт Нефт вә Сәнаје Университети (ADNSU)) is a ter ...

. However, her enormous interest in literature brought her into journalism. She started her journalistic career at “Baku” newspaper, and then began working as a special correspondent for ''Molodezh Azerbaijana'' (''The Youth of Azerbaijan''). Prior to the beginning of the

, Salatyn was writing about contemporary issues of society. However, after the war broke out, Salatyn frequently visited the front line and provided press coverage from hot spots. Her family and colleagues tried to persuade her not to go to the front line jeopardizing her life. In such cases she would usually say: “If nobody goes, then who will?”КРОВАВЫЙ ОМУТ КАРАБАХА (Bloody Slough of Karabakh)
by Yuri Pompeyev

First Nagorno-Karabakh War

On 9 January 1991, the 29-year-old journalist was on her way to

Shusha / hy, Շուշի , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = ShushaCollection2021.jpg , image_caption = Landmarks of Shusha, from top left:Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govhar ...

to prepare a story for the newspaper. At the 6th kilometer of the

Lachin Lachin ( az, Laçın, , ; hy, Բերձոր, translit=Berdzor; ku, Laçîn) is a town in Azerbaijan and the administrative center of the Lachin District. It is located within the strategic Lachin corridor, which links the disputed region of Nag ...

- Shusha highway, next to the village of Boyuk Galadarasi, the vehicle in which she was travelling was shot upon by Armenian militants firing from at almost point-blank range with machine guns and sniper rifles. The investigators counted 113 bullet holes in the vehicle. As a result of the attack, Salatyn Asgarova died instantly. Three military officers (Lieutenant-Colonel O. Larionov, Major I. Ivanov and Sergeant I. Goyek) of the

Soviet Army uk, Радянська армія , image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg , alt = , caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army , start_date ...

accompanying her were killed as well. The attackers – Arno Mkrtchian, Hrachik Petrossian, A. Mongasagian and Garik Arustamian – were identified and arrested. They were later released and handed over to the Armenian authorities.

Legacy

A Baku street and a vessel in the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

carry her name. A monument in her memory was erected at

Tafakkur University Tafakkur University (from Azerbaijani ''tafakkur -'' "contemplation") is a higher education institution in Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaij ...

in Baku. She was conferred the National Hero title posthumously. Salatyn was buried in the

Martyrs' Lane Martyrs' Lane or Alley of Martyrs ( az, Şəhidlər Xiyabanı), formerly known as the Kirov Park, is a cemetery and memorial in Baku, Azerbaijan dedicated to those killed by the Soviet Army during Black January 1990 and in the First Nagorno-Karaba ...

in Baku.Killed Azeri Journalist’s Memory Revered
Bakupages.com

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Asgarova, Salatyn 1961 births 1991 deaths 1991 murders in Asia Journalists from Baku Women war correspondents Journalists killed while covering the Nagorno-Karabakh War National Heroes of Azerbaijan People murdered in Azerbaijan Deaths by firearm in Azerbaijan Azerbaijani murder victims Azerbaijani people of the Nagorno-Karabakh War 20th-century women writers 20th-century Azerbaijani writers Female murder victims 20th-century journalists