Commentators doubted the information about the torture of opponents of hijab restrictions in Azerbaijan.

The words of human rights activist Arzu Abdulla that supposedly in colony No. 17, believing prisoners were tortured for their protest against hijab restrictions, are not supported by evidence, and the claims themselves may be exaggerated, said social media users. Parents of schoolgirls who are not allowed to attend classes due to wearing hijabs have begun to seek opportunities for distance learning, however, the authorities of Azerbaijan do not recognize this form of education.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", starting from October 12, schools in Azerbaijan stopped allowing female students and teachers who refused to remove their hijabs to attend classes. The restrictions sparked protests from believers, whose participants faced detentions and arrests. By the end of October, mass protests ceased, however, some schoolgirls continued to come to educational institutions in hijabs, and some prisoners declared hunger strikes in protest. On November 7, human rights activist Arzu Abdulla stated that in colony No. 17, believing prisoners were tortured.

Commentators called for separating religion from state politics

The statements of human rights activist Arzu Abdulla about the torture of believing prisoners sparked lively discussion on the "Caucasian Knot" Facebook page*. Among the participants in the discussion were both supporters of hijab restrictions in schools and users who opposed the persecution of believers.

Abdulla claimed that on October 21, staff of colony No. 17 beat prisoners who declared a hunger strike in protest against school restrictions on wearing hijabs, and some were forced to write statements about voluntarily ending the action under the threat of violence. This information was presented in two posts on the "Caucasian Knot" Facebook page*.

As of 14:10 MSK on November 9, these two posts on the Facebook* page of the "Caucasian Knot" collectively received 442 user reactions and 615 comments.

Many commentators expressed distrust of the human rights activist's reports about the torture of prisoners and demanded evidence. "This is the most real lie. Where are the facts, evidence, what and how were they tortured? There are no facts, so it's not true," wrote Nigar Afandiyeva.

"Everyone is very interested in what the torture looked like? That is, what method was used?" asked Nadezhda Lozovaya.

"I don't believe it. This can't be true. It's embellished 100%," stated Suraya Guseynova.

Other users supported the demands to adhere to a unified school uniform, explaining their position by the secular nature of Azerbaijan. "The whole problem is that believers still think that we have a Muslim state. They have no idea what is written in our Constitution," wrote Elmar Aminov.

"Adult women – wear even two hijabs. Leave the children alone. Teach them to take care of their hair – braids, bows, hairpins! Give children a happy childhood," called Vazifa Tasbulatova.

Shahla Samedova also advocated for adherence to school rules. "Aren't you tired of provoking? There is no such problem. Everyone must adhere to the Constitution. Religion is separated from the state. In public schools, only the student's uniform. Everywhere else, whether to wear a scarf or not – that's a personal matter. This last point is also according to the Constitution, proclaiming freedom of conscience. And why stir things up? Those who are in places of detention should not violate the regime of serving their sentence. If they do, disciplinary measures will be applied to them," she wrote.

Some commentators, on the contrary, expressed concern about the situation of believers and the actions of the authorities of Azerbaijan. "Poor people, why has faith in God become a problem for the state?" asked Mikhail Borovikov.

"Where is the ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva? Why doesn't she protect human rights? Why was she re-elected again?" asked Nika Guliyeva-Aliyeva.

Parents of believing schoolgirls began to seek alternative forms of education

Individual cases in Azerbaijan, where schoolgirls in hijabs continue to come to educational institutions in hopes of attending classes, still occur, reported human rights activist Arzu Abdulla to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot". According to her, some parents have stopped sending their children to schools with the onset of cold weather and have begun to seek alternative ways of education, including distance learning.

At the same time, according to the human rights activist, the restrictions may also affect private educational institutions. Thus, the online editorial office Qəzetçi, operating in emigration, reported citing unnamed parents that on November 3, the administrations of private schools in Baku warned them of the need to prepare their daughters to attend classes without hijabs within 20 days. The publication also stated that starting from November 2, private schools stopped accepting female students in hijabs who were expelled from classes in state institutions.

Public discontent with school restrictions has recently become more frequently expressed on the internet, Abdulla pointed out. According to her, believers are posting quotes from the Quran and statements from theologians about the necessity of wearing hijabs by Muslim women on social networks, as well as video recordings showing that other violations of school uniform remain unnoticed by the administration of educational institutions.

"Moreover, on social networks, people share videos of students violating the dress code in schools, and the administration takes no measures, which, according to users, indicates that the issue is not about the uniform, but specifically about the repression against hijabs," Abdulla said.

The activist added that users are posting collages with images of upset schoolgirls in hijabs outside school buildings and videos on this topic created using artificial intelligence. Additionally, according to her, some believers are outraged by the celebration of Halloween in Baku and in certain schools against the backdrop of restrictions on religious clothing.

The wife of imprisoned journalist Polad Aslanov Gulmira Aslanova told the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" that she is considering the possibility of educating her 13-year-old daughter in the international online school Flexi Academy. However, according to the woman, the Ministry of Science and Education of Azerbaijan does not recognize this form of education.

"I already called the hotline of the Ministry of Science and Education and inquired. But the ministry said that this form of education is not recognized by the state in Azerbaijan and in any case, it is necessary to obtain a nine-year education in the country. Only after that can one withdraw from school," noted Aslanova.

Education consultant Elchin Henna published a video instruction on Instagram* for registering children in Flexi Academy. According to him, parents can enroll their child in distance learning without providing certificates from an Azerbaijani school. After registration, students undergo testing to determine their level of knowledge, and children with insufficient knowledge of English are offered a preparatory stage.

Henna, whose publication was translated by the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot", reported that Azerbaijani teachers have also registered on the platform, ready to teach children English for free. According to him, the cost of education is $84 per month, and for students over the ninth grade – $100.

The analyst believes that to resolve the conflict, the authorities must either lift the restrictions on wearing hijabs in schools or recognize distance education. Otherwise, in his assessment, graduates of such online schools will not be able to enroll in state universities in Azerbaijan, although foreign certificates may allow them to continue their education abroad.

Meanwhile, criticism of hijab restrictions from Turkey and Iran has noticeably weakened after Baku's harsh response, stated the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot", an employee of the Turan analytical service Tapdyg Farhadoglu.

According to Farhadoglu, Azerbaijan has put seven public figures in Turkey on the wanted list, declared 31 citizens of Turkey and 14 citizens of Iran undesirable persons. After the resignation of Turkish President's advisor Oktay Saral, who criticized Baku's actions, public activity of opponents of school restrictions in Turkey significantly decreased, noted the analyst.

"After that, protests by various religious groups at the Azerbaijani embassy in Ankara and the consulate general in Istanbul ceased, and criticism from those influencing public opinion in Turkey practically disappeared," said Farhadoglu to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot".

As confirmation of the preservation of allied relations between the two states, the analyst cited Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Shusha on November 8. During a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the leaders of the two countries again emphasized the strategic nature of bilateral relations.

As for Iran, its foreign ministry expressed protest against the declaration of 14 citizens of the country as undesirable persons in Azerbaijan. Tehran called this step unfriendly and summoned the Azerbaijani ambassador, however, the Iranian foreign ministry's statement did not contain an assessment of the restrictions on wearing hijabs in schools, noted Farhadoglu.

According to the analyst, public criticism of Azerbaijan on this issue from Iran has also practically ceased. He linked this to the fact that the attention of Iranian society and political circles is primarily focused on the threat of new military escalation.

The correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" was unable to obtain new information about four citizens of Azerbaijan who were fined in Moscow after a protest against school restrictions. Interviewed activists stated that they do not have information about possible pressure on the relatives of the protesters living in Azerbaijan. There is no information about this on social networks either.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the persecution of religious activists in Azerbaijan has been accompanied by complaints about restrictions on their rights previously. For example, in March of this year, the "Muslim Unity" movement reported physical pressure on arrested activists and restrictions on their contacts with relatives and lawyers. In particular, a member of the movement, Samir Babaev, according to the organization, after complaining about torture in the police was deprived of the opportunity for phone calls and visits with relatives.

In January 2025, law enforcement officers detained religious activist Elvin Zeynalov. His relatives stated that during a search, law enforcement officers planted drugs on him. In October 2021, a Shiite theologian, Akhliman Rustamov, was also detained in Azerbaijan, from whose home religious literature was seized. Activists interviewed at that time by the "Caucasian Knot" linked the persecution of Shiite figures to the tension in relations between Azerbaijan and Iran.