The stolen bas-relief from the grave of journalist Najaf Najafov has been restored

The bronze bas-relief on the grave of the outstanding Azerbaijani journalist Najaf Najafov, stolen in September, has been fully restored and reinstalled in its original location.

As Report informs, all expenses for the restoration of the monument were covered by the state — this was confirmed by the journalist's relatives and colleagues.

The disappearance of the bas-relief from the tombstone was discovered on September 9. On the same day, officers from the 28th police station of the Yasamal district and the Ministry of Internal Affairs promptly detained the suspects. The stolen bas-relief was found, however, the perpetrators had already managed to saw it into several pieces.

Since the bronze inscriptions on the composition had been cut off with a saw, restoring the original proved impossible — a decision was made to cast an entirely new bas-relief.

The original bas-relief was created based on a design by sculptor Mazahir Afshar. Based on his sketches, a copy of the bas-relief was prepared by associate professor of the Academy of Arts Nurlan Mammadov. The casting was carried out by master Namig Sadigov at the academy's workshop, and the installation was performed by the team of master Feyzi Orujlu.

The family and colleagues of Najafov expressed their deep gratitude to everyone who took part in the restoration of the monument.

The composition on the bas-relief carries a deep symbolic meaning: it depicts two newspapers, as if blown by the wind and pressed against a post — "Youth of Azerbaijan" and "Azadliq" ("Freedom"). These were the very publications that Najafov led during different periods of his journalistic career. The newspaper issues chosen for the bas-relief symbolize two key stages of his professional and public activity.

The first is the issue of the newspaper "Youth of Azerbaijan" dated November 24, 1988, in which Najafov's article "What Troubles the People?" was published. In this piece, the journalist openly supported the participants of protest rallies at Freedom Square in Baku, which were taking place against the backdrop of the escalating Karabakh conflict. The publication provoked an immediate reaction from the authorities: the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan accused him of nationalism and attempts to undermine the peace process, after which Najafov was dismissed from his position as editor.

After leaving the editorial office, Najafov joined the national liberation movement and founded the newspaper "Azadliq," which became one of the first independent publications in the history of modern Azerbaijan. On the front page of the debut issue, a poem by the Turkish poet Tevfik Fikret was printed — "Song of the Nation" ("Millet Şarkısı"), which was a passionate call for the struggle for freedom and independence. It is this historic issue that is depicted on the second part of the memorial composition.

During the rule of the Popular Front, Najafov held the position of advisor to the President of Azerbaijan. In subsequent years, he repeatedly declined offers to return to public service, focusing on preparations for creating a new independent newspaper. However, a severe illness prevented him from bringing these plans to fruition.

Najaf Najafov passed away in 1999 from leukemia at the age of just 45, leaving behind a bright legacy in the history of Azerbaijani journalism. In 2005, President Ilham Aliyev posthumously awarded him the "Shohrat" order for his outstanding contribution to the development of journalism in Azerbaijan.