Story perspectives

Azerbaijan arrests 37 over school hijab restrictions

By Drooid · Oct 13, 2026, 12:41 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Azerbaijan authorities arrested 37 people for protests over school hijab restrictions on 12 October.
Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers amended school uniform rules on 21 September, citing secular education principles.
Teachers in Baku and Sumgayit were ordered to remove hijabs or resign.
Female students at Schools No. 69 and No. 322 boycotted classes in solidarity with hijab-wearing classmates.
Imprisoned journalist Polad Aslanov began a hunger strike on 8 October to protest the restrictions.

History

Historical Context

The 1997 Turkish National Security Council decree barred 1.5 million public-sector women from wearing headscarves, sparking mass protests and cementing a secular-vs-religious clash. That precedent resurfaced in 2023 when Azerbaijan’s education ministry ordered teachers in Baku and Sumgayit to remove hijabs, echoing Turkey’s earlier crackdown and reviving regional tensions over state-imposed secularism.

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Story summary

Azerbaijan authorities arrested 37 people for protests over school hijab restrictions on 12 October.
Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers amended school uniform rules on 21 September, citing secular education principles.
Teachers in Baku and Sumgayit were ordered to remove hijabs or resign.
Female students at Schools No. 69 and No. 322 boycotted classes in solidarity with hijab-wearing classmates.
Imprisoned journalist Polad Aslanov began a hunger strike on 8 October to protest the restrictions.

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