BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 29. An open-air photo exhibition dedicated to mine victims in Azerbaijan was held at Karlsplatz, the central square in Munich, Germany, Trend reports.
The exhibition opened as part of the "Culmination of Danger" project, implemented by the Gilavar Photo Club public association with the support of the Agency for State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) of Azerbaijan.
The NGO's partner in the project in Germany was the Cultural Center of Azerbaijanis in Munich.
The exhibition featured over 20 photographs, stories, and statistics on mine victims. Each photograph reflected not just an individual case but a nationwide humanitarian tragedy.
Munich residents obtained additional information about the mine victims using QR codes embedded in the photographs.
Messages such as "I lost a leg, but I didn't lose hope!", "I was a doctor, saving mine victims, but I stepped on a mine myself", "At 11, I mistook a mine for a toy – it robbed me of my childhood", and "I stepped on an anti-tank mine. Having never known the joys of youth, I know what it means to be a young man who lost both legs" conveyed the tragic experiences of those affected.
The exhibition visitors also left messages on a special board, expressing their sincere wishes and words of support for the mine victims.
Chairman of the Gilavar Photo Club Public Association Rashad Mehdiyev said that in 2021, he stepped on an anti-tank mine planted by the Armenian side near Susuzlug village in the Kalbajar district.
He miraculously survived, but three of his colleagues – cameraman Siraj Abishov, journalist Maharram Ibrahimov, and local government employee Arif Aliyev - were killed, and four others were injured to varying degrees.
The exhibition noted that, as a result of mine terror perpetrated by Armenia, over 3,400 Azerbaijanis have fallen victim to mines to date.
Of these, 409 people were injured by mines and unexploded ordnance from 2020 through 2025.
Over the past five years, mines have claimed the lives of 71 Azerbaijanis.
Despite Armenia handing over some minefield maps under political pressure, only 25 percent of them were found to be accurate.
In this regard, the Gilavar Photo Club once again called on Armenia to provide accurate minefield maps.
The exhibition also emphasized that the mine problem is global in nature, Azerbaijan has already declared humanitarian demining as the 18th National Sustainable Development Goal and is proposing to have this issue recognized as the 18th UN Sustainable Development Goal.
The photo exhibition, which opened in Munich, called for global mobilization to prevent the threat of mines and their tragic consequences.
To note, this is the first photo exhibition on the topic of mines organized by an Azerbaijani NGO in Germany. "Photo Club Gilavar" plans to continue holding similar exhibitions in other European cities.
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