Activists reported new arrests and dismissals related to the hijab ban in Azerbaijani schools.
Authorities continue to arrest participants in protests against restrictions on wearing hijabs in Azerbaijani schools. One of the teachers who lost her job due to the protests said she was formally dismissed for not meeting the job requirements.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", Fizuli Guseynov, a resident of the Absheron district, was sentenced to 30 days of arrest after a picket demanding the lifting of the hijab ban in schools. Earlier, his son received the same punishment for protesting against the ban.
Since October 12, school leaders in Azerbaijan have not allowed teachers and schoolgirls who refused to remove their hijabs to attend classes. Around several schools in Baku, students and teachers held lessons in the street as a sign of protest. On October 13, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported the detention of 37 protest participants, while activists counted more than 200 detained. Protests due to the exclusion of children and female teachers from classes have become a continuation of a long-standing dispute over religious clothing in schools, according to a report by "Caucasian Knot" "Protests over school dress code in Azerbaijan".
"There is strong pressure on the parents of children wearing hijabs. People, including women, are detained and summoned to police stations, where they are demanded not to gather in front of schools, not to bring mats or other coverings, so that children do not sit in front of educational institutions and do their homework there. Otherwise, they face arrest. Those who actively protested in front of schools or on social media are sent to jail," said an activist involved in protecting the rights of believers, who is monitoring the situation.
In particular, according to him, Seymur and Samur Mamedov, residents of the village of Garagasangli in the Sharur district of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, were sentenced to 25 days of administrative arrest after they protested against their children being denied entry to school in hijabs.
In the village of Privolnoye in the Jalilabad district, more than 10 people were detained for protests related to the hijab, the activist noted. By a local court decision, they were sent to administrative arrest for 20 days.
At the same time, dismissals of female teachers who refuse to remove their hijabs have begun. For instance, Sevilya Jabbarova, a primary school teacher at Baku Secondary School No. 290, was dismissed for refusing to attend school without a head covering.
"I worked at the school for five years. Hijabs were banned in schools as a religious attribute. I covered my head with a national scarf – kelagai. But I was still not allowed into the school," said Jabbarova.
She noted that she was dismissed from work, but the reason given was not wearing a hijab, but clause "v" of Article 70 of the Labor Code of Azerbaijan (non-compliance of the employee with the position held due to insufficient professional level).
Protests due to the exclusion of children and female teachers from classes have become a continuation of a long-standing dispute over religious clothing in schools, according to a report by "Caucasian Knot" "Protests over school dress code in Azerbaijan".
Detained Shahizyar Guseynova placed under house arrest
It should be noted that previously detained resident of the village of Mashtaga, Shahizyar Guseynova, was released under house arrest after 48 hours. In an interview with Meydan TV, she explained that her husband was given incorrect information about her arrest for 4 months.
According to Guseynova, officers from the Sabunchu police station promised to release her on the condition that she either remove the hijab from her schoolgirl daughter or write a statement that she was withdrawing her daughter from school. However, she did not accept the conditions and was ultimately charged with "violating public order" and released under house arrest after 48 hours.
Guseynova said that initially she had a tense dialogue with the head of the police department, who raised his voice at her.
Recall that on October 13, two residents of Azerbaijan were arrested after speaking out against restrictions on wearing hijabs in schools: a resident of Nakhchivan, Gudrat Abdullayev, received 25 days of administrative arrest after posting a video on TikTok, and a resident of the Absheron district, Rafael Guseynzade, received 30 days after writing on the school building: "Freedom to the hijab!".
Restrictions on wearing hijabs in schools in Azerbaijan may increase tensions between the state and the religious part of society. The actions of the authorities may be related to political concerns — in particular, the desire to prevent the use of religious discontent by external forces, analysts indicated in interviews with "Caucasian Knot".