The Most Famous
SOCIAL ACTIVISTS from Azerbaijan
This page contains a list of the greatest Azerbaijani Social Activists. The pantheon dataset contains 840 Social Activists, 4 of which were born in Azerbaijan. This makes Azerbaijan the birth place of the 44th most number of Social Activists behind Bulgaria, and Brazil.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Azerbaijani Social Activists of all time. This list of famous Azerbaijani Social Activists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Hazi Aslanov (1910 - 1945)
With an HPI of 59.84, Hazi Aslanov is the most famous Azerbaijani Social Activist. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages on wikipedia.
Hazi Ahad oghlu Aslanov (Azerbaijani: Həzi Əhəd oğlu Aslanov, Һәзи Әһәд оғлу Асланов; Russian: Ази Агадович (also Агад оглы, Ахадович, Ахад оглы) Асланов; commonly described as Azi Aslanov or A. A. Aslanov, 4 February [O.S. 22 January] 1910 – 25 January 1945) was an Azerbaijani major-general of the Soviet armoured troops during World War II. He was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title twice. The second Hero title was posthumously awarded in 1991, by Mikhail Gorbachev, at the constant recommendations by Heydar Aliyev.
2. Mehdi Huseynzade (1918 - 1944)
With an HPI of 59.67, Mehdi Huseynzade is the 2nd most famous Azerbaijani Social Activist. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Lieutenant Mehdi Huseynzade (Azerbaijani: Mehdi Hüseynzadə; Russian: Мехти Гусейнзаде; 22 December 1918, in Novxanı, Azerbaijan – 2 November 1944, in Vitovlje, Slovenia) was an Azerbaijani guerrilla and scout during World War II. He was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union on 11 April 1957.
3. Meshadi Azizbekov (1876 - 1918)
With an HPI of 59.01, Meshadi Azizbekov is the 3rd most famous Azerbaijani Social Activist. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.
Mashadi Azizbey oghlu Azizbeyov, also spelled Azizbekov (Azerbaijani: Məşədi Əziz bəy oğlu Əzizbəyov; Russian: Мешади Азиз-бек оглы Азизбеков; January 6, 1876 - September 20, 1918) was a Soviet revolutionary of Azerbaijani origin, leader of the revolutionary movement in Azerbaijan, one of the first Azeri Marxists, Provincial Commissioner and Deputy People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, gubernial commissar for Baku. He was one of the 26 Baku Commissars. Azizbeyov became a member of Russian Social Democratic Labour Party and one of the leaders of Muslim Social Democratic Party. After the October Revolution, he joined the Baku Comissars. As the Baku Commune was voted out of power in July 1918, Azizbeyov and rest of the Commissars abandoned Baku and fled across the Caspian Sea. However, they were captured by anti-Soviet forces. On the night of September 20, Azizbeyov was executed by a firing squad in a remote location between the stations of Pereval and Akhcha-Kuyma on the Trans-Caspian railway. Currently, views on Azizbeyov in Azerbaijan are mixed. Azerbaijani nationalists, the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, and the main opposition parties Musavat and APFP do not see Azizbeyov as a positive figure. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijan Communist Party and many other local left-wing politicians and sees Azizbeyov as an important, notable and positive figure in the history of Azerbaijan.
4. Hamida Javanshir (1873 - 1955)
With an HPI of 58.77, Hamida Javanshir is the 4th most famous Azerbaijani Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Hamida Ahmad bey qizi Javanshir (Azerbaijani: Həmidə Cavanşir; 19 January 1873 – 6 February 1955) was an Azerbaijani activist and one of the first enlightened women of Azerbaijan, wife of Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, daughter of historian Ahmad Bey Javanshir, philanthropist, translator, member of Azerbaijan Writers' Union.
5. Ulviyya Ali (b. 1993)
With an HPI of 4.57, Ulviyya Ali is the 5th most famous Azerbaijani Social Activist. Her biography has been translated into 13 different languages.
Ulviyya Ali (full name: Ulviyya Ali gizi Guliyeva; (Azerbaijani: Ülviyyə Əli qızı Quliyeva); born October 13, 1993, Goychay) is an Azerbaijani independent journalist, human rights activist, and political prisoner. She worked as a journalist for Voice of America (VoA) from 2019 to 2025. Since 2012, Ulviyya Ali has covered all major human rights violations occurring in Azerbaijan on her X (formerly Twitter) page, drawing the attention of international media. Her posts, as well as videos and photos authored by her, have been cited and used in reports concerning Azerbaijan in global news outlets. In February 2025, after the accreditation of Voice of America correspondents was revoked in Azerbaijan, Ali declared that she would continue her journalistic work independently. Despite the lack of a media platform to publish her work, she began sharing her reports on her personal Facebook page and remained active in journalism. Three months later, during the night of May 6 to 7, 2025, Ali was detained in connection with the "Meydan TV case" and was placed in pre-trial detention by a ruling of the Khatai District Court on May 7. She and others arrested in the same case were charged under Article 206.3.2 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan (smuggling on preliminary arrangement by group of persons). Ali denied the charges, stating she was not affiliated with Meydan TV and had made this clear four months before her arrest. She considers her detention to be linked solely to her journalistic activities. Several local and international human rights organizations have condemned her arrest as politically motivated and have called on the Azerbaijani authorities to release her immediately. She is currently being held at the Baku Pre-Trial Detention Center under the authority of the Ministry of Justice’s Penitentiary Service.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Azerbaijani social activists born between 1873 and 1993. Of these 5, 1 (20.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Azerbaijani social activists include Ulviyya Ali. The most famous deceased Azerbaijani social activists include Hazi Aslanov, Mehdi Huseynzade, and Meshadi Azizbekov. As of April 2024, 1 new Azerbaijani social activists have been added to Pantheon including Ulviyya Ali.
Living Azerbaijani Social Activists
Go to all RankingsDeceased Azerbaijani Social Activists
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Hazi Aslanov
1910 - 1945
HPI: 59.84
Mehdi Huseynzade
1918 - 1944
HPI: 59.67
Meshadi Azizbekov
1876 - 1918
HPI: 59.01
Hamida Javanshir
1873 - 1955
HPI: 58.77
Newly Added Azerbaijani Social Activists (2025)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Social Activists were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Social Activists since 1700.
