Shahizyar Guseynova reported an attempt of re-arrest in Baku.
Civilians attempted to detain Shahizyar Guseynova, a participant in the protests under house arrest in Baku due to restrictions on wearing the hijab, when she went out with her children to the store during the time allowed by the investigator.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on October 13, the wife of the activist of the "Muslim Unity" movement, Aga Guseynov, Shahizyar Guseynova, was detained after a protest near school No. 187 in the Baku settlement of Mashtaga, where she protested against her daughter being barred from classes while wearing a hijab. Her husband stated that during the detention, the security forces treated Guseynova roughly and threatened her in front of the children. On October 14, he received information about her arrest for four months. Later, Shahizyar Guseynova reported that this information was incorrect and that after 48 hours of detention, she was placed under house arrest. According to her, the police offered to release her on the condition that her daughter removes her hijab or that the mother writes a statement withdrawing her daughter from school. According to Guseynova, after her refusal, she was charged with violating public order.
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 participants in the protests, while activists counted more than 200 detainees. Protests against 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".
According to Shahizyar Guseynova, she was attempted to be detained by civilians. She reported this in a video address published today on her husband Aga Guseynov's Facebook page.
Guseynova stated that around 12:40 PM (11:40 AM Moscow time), she, along with three children and a young niece, headed to a grocery store in the Mashtaga settlement. When choosing a preventive measure, the investigator allowed her to leave the house from 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM, and before leaving, she clarified these conditions with him once again.
"And today I called the investigator and asked if I could go to obtain an identity document for the child (internal passport), he repeated that after 12:00 PM and until 6:00 PM I could leave the residence," emphasized Guseynova, whose words were translated by a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
Already after leaving the house, Guseynova noticed a black car that was filming her, and after visiting the store, according to her, several cars and a man followed her family.
"We made purchases, left the store. Two cars were following us again. Ahead, I noticed another car. And another person was walking behind us," said Guseynova.
She called her husband and, on his advice, turned on video communication. The man following her asked who gave her the right to film a police officer, Guseynova reported.
"I said that you are filming, and therefore I am filming too. They tried to detain me, took my phone, bank card. The children got scared and started screaming, and people gathered at the noise. This prevented them from detaining me there. They retreated, but as they were leaving, they threw at me, 'we will show you who we are'", Guseynova reported.
She called the incident a "kidnapping attempt".
"Caucasian Knot" currently does not have a comment from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan.