ZAQATALA — — September 1, 2025 –
ZAQATALA — August 31, 2025. A violent abduction in the Azerbaijani town of Zaqatala has shocked local residents and triggered an official investigation.
According to reports from Lent.az, the incident occurred around 5 a.m. directly in front of the Zaqatala District Prosecutor’s Office. Witnesses said unknown men in a Hyundai i30 forcibly dragged a woman into the car against her will.
The victim fought back desperately — screaming, resisting, and even trying to escape through the window of the moving vehicle — but her attempts failed.
Residents leaving a nearby mosque witnessed the abduction and attempted to chase the kidnappers. Realizing they were being pursued, the suspects sped away toward the neighboring Qakh district.
The Zaqatala District Prosecutor’s Office has since opened a criminal case under Article 144.1 (kidnapping) of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code. Law enforcement agencies are working to identify and locate the perpetrators.
Beyond the case: a troubling trend
While this incident is shocking in its brazenness — unfolding opposite a prosecutor’s office at dawn — it also fits a wider pattern of concern in Azerbaijan and across the South Caucasus, where women can face heightened risks of abduction and domestic violence, especially in rural settings.
Important: Authorities have not indicated that the Zaqatala case is connected to the practice commonly referred to as “bride kidnapping.” However, rights groups note that public awareness is essential because some abductions in the broader region have been linked to attempts to force a marriage.
Context: what is “bride kidnapping”?
The term generally refers to abducting a woman or girl to pressure her into marriage.
In Azerbaijan, any such conduct is illegal and falls under existing criminal statutes (including kidnapping), regardless of cultural justifications.
Advocates stress that victims often face isolation, stigma, and fear of retaliation, which can deter reporting; accessible shelters, hotlines, and rapid police response are crucial.
“Such crimes exploit women’s social vulnerability and must never be normalized under any label,” said a Baku-based activist.
For many residents of Zaqatala, the fact that this kidnapping happened in such a public place, opposite a government building and witnessed by worshippers leaving morning prayers, underscores both the audacity of the perpetrators and the urgency of strengthening protections.
