The ban on wearing hijabs in schools in Azerbaijan is accompanied by arrests.
In Azerbaijan, despite protests from believers, restrictions on the admission of female students and teachers in hijabs continue to be enforced in schools. After mass detentions of participants in protests in the village of Nardaran, parents are afraid to speak out publicly against the ban, and some prefer to keep their daughters at home.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the court placed activist of the Popular Front Party Matanat Turan, who is a believer and wears a hijab, under house arrest, but the prosecutor's office appealed this decision and secured Turan's placement in a detention center. The persecution of Turan is politically motivated, the party believes.
Since October 12, school leaders in Azerbaijan have not allowed teachers and female students 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 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 from "Caucasian Knot" "Protests over school dress code in Azerbaijan".
As part of the ban on wearing hijabs for teachers and female students in schools in Azerbaijan, pressure on the parents of students is increasing. Parents of children with hijabs are being told not to bring their children to school in hijabs and not to stand at the doors demanding passes for classes from the school administration. Those who protest are taken to the police, intimidated, and threatened with criminal cases. Apparently, the authorities consider pressure and intimidation through criminal cases to be more effective than administrative fines of 100 manats (58 dollars - note from "Caucasian Knot"). Threats and pressure have an effect: people are afraid to make these facts public,” said one of the activists defending the rights of believers to a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".
The activist pointed out that arrests continue to be recorded in criminal cases initiated against believers who were active in the protests. "We are talking about dozens of people. Arrests occurred in Baku and the regions. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, the families of those arrested prefer not to make these cases public, fearing that it may harm their loved ones. The most arrests occurred in the village of Nardaran, but I do not know the exact number," said the interlocutor, who wished to remain anonymous.
According to the Azerbaijani online publication Qəzetçi, which operates abroad, 88 people were arrested in Nardaran. "Some of them were arrested administratively, however, criminal cases have been initiated against the overwhelming majority of those detained," the publication quotes activist Alamdar Buniatov from the European representation of the Muslim Unity Movement.
"Mamed Rustamzade and Kamran Rustamov, against whom criminal cases have been initiated, are cousins. Both perform religious songs at weddings. In addition, criminal cases have been initiated against residents of Nardaran Rasim Askerov, Hikmet Veliev, Ilgar Agarzaev, and Alimukhtar Aslanov. A measure of restraint in the form of arrest for three months has been chosen for each of them, and they have been taken to a detention center," said Buniatov.
According to Buniatov, raids in Nardaran are conducted by the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. "Police warned the relatives of the arrested that if they pass information to the media, their detained relatives would be subjected to torture," claims the activist.
He stated that those detained, for whom a measure of restraint in the form of arrest has been chosen, are also deprived of the right to defense. "They do not have independent lawyers. Families were also not informed about the possibility of providing a lawyer at the state's expense. For these reasons, it is difficult to obtain information about the arrested," emphasized Buniatov.
According to a resident of Nardaran, whose relative was arrested, the number of detainees is in the dozens. "Our relative was taken away on the night of October 16. Masked police officers came and took the young man from the house. We do not know what charges have been brought against the detainees. Through third parties, we hear that they are accused of hooliganism. The families of the arrested do not have money to hire lawyers. And the lawyers appointed at the state's expense do not contact the relatives. The detainees themselves have not called from the detention center yet," said the source to a correspondent from "Caucasian Knot".
"The (arrested relative) has no children, but together with other residents of Nardaran, he came to school and protested against the ban on wearing hijabs. These were peaceful protests. Children in hijabs are still not allowed into school. Some parents have reluctantly agreed to send their daughters to classes without hijabs. But many residents of the village keep their children at home," noted the source.
According to a resident of Nardaran, after the events of 2015, the unofficial elders' institution in the village has practically ceased to function. "Earlier, village elders would engage in dialogue with representatives of the authorities, trying to resolve conflict issues. But after the mass arrests in the Nardaran case, elderly villagers do not risk showing public initiative, fearing that their sons and grandsons will also be arrested," noted the source.
"The Nardaran case" emerged after a forceful operation in the village on November 26, 2015. The main goal of the forceful operation was to crush the "Muslim Unity" movement and arrest its leader Taleh Bagirzade, according to a report from "Caucasian Knot" "Nardaran". The defendants complained of torture and did not admit guilt. Azerbaijani human rights defenders consider the defendants in the "Nardaran case" to be political prisoners. Some of those convicted in this case have already been released on pardon.