Osman Mirzayev

Osman Mirzayev at his office

Born| (1937-04-13)April 13, 1937
Baku, Azerbaijan
Died| November 20, 1991(1991-11-20) (aged 54)
Xocavand, Azerbaijan
Occupation| Journalist, writer, publicist, television presenter, president's spokesperson
Children|

* Sevinj Osmanqizi

House in Baku, where Osman Mirzayev lived[1]

Osman Mirzayev (Azerbaijani: Osman Mirzayev Mirzabeyoğlu; April 13, 1937 – November 20, 1991) was an Azerbaijani journalist, writer and publicist in Soviet Azerbaijan, then part of the USSR. The journalist is the father of Sevinj Osmanqizi.

Osman Mirzayev is widely regarded as one of the great pioneers of independent journalism in Azerbaijan. He came to prominence as presenter of Dalga (Wave), Azerbaijan's first political TV programme, and through his investigative articles about political repression and persecution in the Soviet Azerbaijan and books We Only Live Once, Eagle in Flight, Drop and Lake and many other writings. Mirzayev's book Adlarimiz (Our Names) reviews the origins and meanings of the most popular first names in Azerbaijan.

## Biography

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Osman Mirzayev was born on April 13, 1937, in Baku, Azerbaijan. He was the graduate of the Philology Department of Azerbaijan State University.

After the country regained its independence in 1991, he rose to the position of Presidential Spokesman and Head of the Information Department of the Presidential Administration of the Azerbaijan Republic.[2]

## Death

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Osman Mirzayev was assassinated on November 20, 1991 Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdown in Nagorno Karabakh. He was part of a 22–person international mission to investigate clashes in the region. There were no survivors of the crash. He left a wife and three daughters, all engaged in journalism.[3][4] Osman Mirzayev is buried at the Alley of Honor in Baku. There are streets and schools named after Osman Mirzayev in Azerbaijan.

## Selected awards and honours

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* 1993: National Hero of Azerbaijan (awarded post mortem)
* 1994: Honorary doctoral degree of the Azerbaijan State University
* 1985: The Golden Pen Award
* 1988: Honorary Journalist of Azerbaijan Republic

## Authored Books

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* "Eagle in Flight":  (1978)
* "Drop and Lake" (1979)
* "Our Names"(1986). Etymology and meaning of popular Azeri names. Reprinted in 1994, and 2010.
* "We Only Live Once" (1991)

## See also

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* 1991 Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdown

## References

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1. ^ “Sovetski”nin dahi sakinləri…
2. ^ "Killed journalists". Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
3. ^ Roman Glebov (November 25, 1991). "Республики. В Азербайджане сбит вертолет с VIP на борту" [Republics. A helicopter with VIP on board has been shot down in Azerbaijan.] (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
4. ^ K. Zarbaliyeva (November 19, 2008). "Investigation into Crash of Helicopter with Azerbaijani Senior Officials Suspended". Trend News Agency. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2010.

## External links

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* November 20 is the anniversary of the most tragic incident in the history of independence of Azerbaijan
* Rafael Huseynov speech at COE
* Азад Шариф "Творческие династии Азербайджана XX века"