Ehtiram Aliyev

Ehtiram Aliyev (Ehtiram Israyil oglu Aliyev) was an Azerbaijani soldier of the First Karabakh War who was awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan, the country's highest honour, in 1995. He died on 15 November 2026 at the National Oncology Center in Baku after a long illness, aged 54.

Aliyev was born on 1 August 1972 in the village of Qazyan in the Ujar district of Azerbaijan, where he completed his secondary education. After finishing the eighth grade in 1987 he enrolled at the Baku Machine Building Technical School.

He began his military service on 5 June 1992, as the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh escalated, and served until August 1996. He was first sent to Nakhchivan, where after training he fought with distinction around Sadarak and the Batabat highlands. In 1993 he was transferred to the Agdam front. During an offensive on 5 January 1994 he was wounded but refused to lay down his weapon, returning to the trenches as soon as he had been treated. On 20 April 1994 he was sent to the Tartar front, where he again took part in heavy fighting.

By a decree of the President of Azerbaijan, No. 307 of 4 April 1995, he was awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan for the courage and bravery he had shown in defence of the homeland. He is included in Vugar Asgarov's reference book on the country's National Heroes.

After leaving the army in 1996, Aliyev worked in the Sabunchu district police department in Baku in 1997 and 1998. In 2000 he entered Tafakkur University, and he later served as deputy head of the Baku International and Intercity Bus Terminal. He lived in Baku and was married with a daughter and two sons.

In the autumn of 2026 his health deteriorated seriously. He was admitted to the Yeni Klinika hospital on 18 October and, as his condition worsened, was moved to the National Oncology Center, where in his final days he was placed on a ventilator. His death was announced by Azerbaijani media on 15 November. According to the public association that promotes the memory of the National Heroes, no separate farewell ceremony was planned, and he was to be buried at the Second Alley of Honour in Baku on 16 November.

He is remembered as one of the generation of young soldiers whose bravery in the First Karabakh War earned the nation's highest recognition.