Elmira Teymur qızı Süleymanova (; 17 July 1937 – 25 April 2024) was an Azerbaijani chemist and civil servant. In 2002, she became the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic.

Biography

Süleymanova was born in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

on 17 July 1937 and graduated in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

from the State University of Azerbaijan and graduated with honors. She then worked in the Institute of Petrochemical Processes of

Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) (, located in Baku, is the main state research organization and the primary body that conducts research and coordinates activities in the fields of science and social sciences in Azerbaijan. It was ...

as a laboratory assistant and later became the head of the laboratory. She got a postgraduate from the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the ...

in 1967 and a doctorate in 1980. She started working as a university professor in 1988. She was also member of the

New York Academy of Sciences The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS), originally founded as the Lyceum of Natural History in January 1817, is a nonprofit professional society based in New York City, with more than 20,000 members from 100 countries. It is the fourth-oldes ...

from 1997 onward. She was the author of 200 scientific works and collaborated in around 40 inventions for chemistry and perfumery industries. Süleymanova was an expert in

petrochemicals Petrochemicals (sometimes abbreviated as petchems) are the chemical products obtained from petroleum by refining. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable so ...

and

organic chemistry Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the science, scientific study of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds and organic matter, organic materials, i.e., matter in its various forms that contain ...

. She was the founder and honorary president of the Azerbaijan Women and Development Center, a non-profit organization that has a consultative status with the

UN Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) is one of six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in regards to the fifteen specialized ...

. Süleymanova died in Baku on 25 April 2024, at the age of 86.

Career as Ombudsman

The

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

elected Süleymanova as the first

Ombudsman An ombudsman ( , also ) is a government employee who investigates and tries to resolve complaints, usually through recommendations (binding or not) or mediation. They are usually appointed by the government or by parliament (often with a sign ...

on 2 July 2002, and re-elected her in 2010. In 2004, regarding the 30-year prison sentence of

Ramil Safarov Ramil Sahib oghlu Safarov (, , born August 25, 1977) is an officer of the Azerbaijani Army who was convicted of the 2004 murder of Armenian Army Lieutenant Gurgen Margaryan. During a NATO-sponsored training seminar in Budapest, Safarov broke in ...

, she stated that Safarov's punishment was too harsh and that "Safarov must become an example of

patriotism Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...

for the Azerbaijani youth". In 2015, she was named vice-president of the Asian Ombudsman Association, and was also a member of the European Ombudsman Institute. As Ombudsman, she implemented programs that aimed to protect the status of women, the elderly, displaced youth, the poor, and victims of violence.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev (born 24 December 1961) is an Azerbaijani politician who has been the fourth president of Azerbaijan since 2003. He is also the leader of the New Azerbaijan Party since 2005. The son and second child of former Aze ...

awarded her the

Order of Glory The Order of Glory () was a military decoration of the Soviet Union established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on November 8, 1943. It was awarded to soldiers and non-commissioned officers of the Red Army as well as to aviation ...

in 2007 and the Order of Honor in 2017 for her contribution to the defense of human rights.Elmira Süleymanova “Şərəf” ordeni ilə təltif edilib

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Süleymanova, Elmira 1937 births 2024 deaths 21st-century Azerbaijani women politicians 21st-century Azerbaijani politicians Politicians from Baku Scientists from Baku Baku State University alumni Ombudspersons in Azerbaijan Officers of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour Recipients of the Sharaf Order Recipients of the Shohrat Order Azerbaijani women chemists Soviet women chemists Burials at II Alley of Honor