Azerbaijan's education ministry began enforcing new uniform rules last Monday, resulting in female pupils wearing hijabs being turned away from state schools. The rules, approved on 21 September, ban clothing that contradicts "the principle of secularism in education" but do not specifically mention the hijab. Similar guidelines were extended to teachers on 6 October.
Protests have taken place outside state schools in the capital, Baku, and in southern districts including Masally and Jalilabad. The interior ministry reported that 37 people were detained on Monday for attempting to obstruct the rules and "grossly violate public order".
The dispute has extended to Turkey, Azerbaijan's close ally. Oktay Saral, chief adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has described the Azerbaijani restrictions as "unacceptable" and urged Baku to "reverse this mistake". Azerbaijan's ruling New Azerbaijan Party has accused Turkish officials of an "openly defamatory" information campaign and "baseless accusations", warning that Saral's comments could harm ties.
An activist, Ilkin Huseynov, who launched an online platform offering free lessons to pupils barred from class, reportedly left his home with unidentified men on Wednesday and his phone has been switched off. His friends believe he has been detained, though authorities have not commented. Users have also reported problems accessing Instagram and TikTok without a VPN since the protests began.