Between the devil and the deep blue sea

11 min.

Filmmaker: Atanur Nabiyeva

Between the devil and the deep blue sea

18.01.24

Following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, suicides have increased among Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers. Media outlets have reported more than 50 soldiers and military personnel attempted suicide in Azerbaijan. One of the main reasons for suicides is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Others blame limited access to services, bureaucratic hurdles to receiving disability status and the government’s poor treatment of military veterans. Currently, veterans who participated in the war receive 80 AZN a month (roughly $47).

Officially, the Ministry of Emergency Situations provided psychological assistance to more than 7,000 families of fallen soldiers (martyrs) and veterans over the past two and a half years. Some veterans complain that the psychological support provided by the government is not sufficient; others have refused help.

The film tells the stories of three different veterans who came back from the war, but found themselves in another battle. This time they are in the fight for their life against myriad challenges, including PTSD. Although they have no visible wounds, due to the psychological damage they have suffered, they cannot return to their normal lives. 

Unable to live in the past or adapt to civilian life, they live between the devil and the deep blue sea.



This film was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of EU4IM’s beneficiary [Chai Khana media] and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union