AZE.US
Relatives of people killed in accidents in Azerbaijan are increasingly demanding large sums of money, apartments and other property from defendants in exchange for reconciliation, according to a report by Baku TV.
The practice, commonly described as “blood money,” is reportedly appearing not only in private negotiations but also openly during court proceedings.
In one case, social media personality Ilduza Hajiyeva, known online as Arzum9999, claimed that the opposing side demanded 100,000 manats from her.
Doctor Azer Maksudov said in court that the victim’s relatives initially demanded two apartments and later asked for 400,000 manats.
The scale of such demands has triggered sharp criticism.
“Does the person come back to life after the money is paid? No. It is like selling someone’s blood,” one man interviewed by Baku TV said.
He argued that a person responsible for a death should help the victim’s family, cover funeral expenses and compensate for genuine losses. Demanding expensive homes, cars or enormous sums, however, goes far beyond reasonable compensation, he said.
“Blood money is one of the greatest sins,” he added. “Helping the family is necessary, but demanding a house or a car is wrong.”
Lawyer Shamil Pashayev said “blood money” is not a concept recognized by modern Azerbaijani law. The term has historical and religious origins.
In earlier periods, a person responsible for killing someone could compensate the victim’s family. Modern criminal law, however, does not treat such payments as a separate legal institution.
According to Pashayev, these disputes are most commonly seen after fatal traffic accidents and deaths during childbirth.
He said some legal heirs effectively turn the death of a relative into an object of bargaining, demanding money in return for withdrawing complaints or taking a softer position in court.
Funeral costs, loss of financial support, material damage and moral harm may all be subject to compensation under the law.
But demands for apartments and hundreds of thousands of manats increasingly look less like compensation and more like an attempt to profit from tragedy.
A person’s death should not become a commodity, and a criminal case should not turn into an auction in which “forgiveness” is sold to the highest bidder.
AZE.US