Fatima Kerimova
Age: 20
Strangled: 25 June 2026
Residence: Varketili, Tbilisi
Origin: Azerbaijan
Children: -
Perpetrator: Cousin Emin Aliyev

Twenty-year-old Fatima Kerimova, an Azerbaijani veterinary assistant from Baku, was found dead on 26 June 2026 in a rented apartment in the Varketili district of Tbilisi. She had been strangled the previous evening. Her 26-year-old paternal cousin, Emin Aliyev, has been charged in absentia with aggravated murder.

Fatima and her younger sister Zuleikha became orphans after their mother died of cancer in 2020 and their father passed away two years later following a prolonged illness. The sisters lived together in Baku, where Fatima worked as a veterinary assistant.

Approximately two months before her death, Fatima met a young man who persuaded her to move with him to Georgia, promising they would marry and build a life there. According to her sister, the relationship quickly turned abusive. The man allegedly beat her, extinguished cigarettes on her body, destroyed her identity documents, pawned her mobile phone, took her money, and eventually abandoned her in Tbilisi without documents, money or means of communication.

Stranded and alone, Fatima contacted an acquaintance who helped her find temporary shelter and re-establish contact with her family in Azerbaijan. She then reached out to her cousin Emin Aliyev, who promised to travel to Georgia, help her obtain new documents and bring her safely back to Baku.

On 3 June 2026, Emin Aliyev arrived in Tbilisi and rented an apartment in the Varketili district. According to human rights defenders and Zuleikha, Fatima’s relatives viewed her departure with her boyfriend as a profound disgrace to the family. The cousin is believed to have travelled to Georgia with the intention of carrying out an honor killing.

During the following weeks, Fatima remained in contact with her sister. She sent Zuleikha photographs showing injuries from physical abuse and revealed that their cousin had threatened her with a knife. She repeatedly pleaded with Zuleikha not to alert the authorities, fearing the consequences, and refused to disclose her exact location. According to Zuleikha, Fatima told her: “I want to live.”

The Georgian Prosecutor’s Office later established that between 3 and 25 June, Emin Aliyev systematically restricted Fatima’s freedom: he forbade her from communicating with relatives or others, controlled whether she could leave the apartment, and even decided when she was allowed to eat. Neighbours reported hearing a loud argument coming from the apartment shortly before her death.

On the evening of 25 June 2026, around 22:00, Emin Aliyev strangled Fatima in the apartment. According to the Georgian authorities, the motive was intolerance toward gender equality. He was charged with aggravated murder under Article 109(t) of the Georgian Criminal Code.

On 26 June, after Zuleikha lost contact with her sister, police forced entry into the apartment and discovered Fatima’s body. She was buried in Azerbaijan on 30 June 2026.

Following the murder, Zuleikha publicly criticised both Georgian and Azerbaijani authorities for what she described as a lack of urgency and practical support. Georgian investigators reportedly required her to travel to Tbilisi in person to review the case file, which she said she could not afford. Azerbaijani authorities stated they had limited jurisdiction because the crime occurred in Georgia.

Zuleikha has also called for the prosecution of Fatima’s former boyfriend, arguing that by destroying her documents and abandoning her he left her extremely vulnerable.

Baia Pataraia, head of the Georgian women’s rights organisation Sapari, stated that some members of Fatima’s extended family attempted to justify the killing by claiming the suspect had “washed away the shame” and “restored the family’s honor.” Sapari is providing legal assistance to Zuleikha and is seeking formal recognition of her as the victim’s legal representative in the criminal proceedings.

The General Prosecutor’s Office of Azerbaijan has offered legal assistance to the Georgian authorities and called for a full, comprehensive and impartial investigation through international legal cooperation.

Emin Aliyev, a resident of Azerbaijan’s Agjabadi district, was later arrested in Turkey following an international arrest warrant issued by Georgia. Extradition proceedings are ongoing.