In the settlement of Nardaran, located in the Sabunchu district on the outskirts of Baku, 88 people have been detained for protesting against restrictions on wearing the hijab. According to Alamdar Bunyatov—an activist with the European branch of the "Muslim Unity Movement"—criminal cases have been initiated against the majority of those detained. This information was reported by the independent media outlet *Qəzetçi* (Gazetchi).

Bunyatov stated that some of the detainees have been placed under administrative arrest. Among those accused are cousins ​​Mammad Rustamzadeh and Kamran Rustamov, who perform Islamic hymns at weddings. Bunyatov claims that the police treated them with particular brutality.

Criminal cases have also been opened against Rasim Askerov, Hikmet Valiyev, Ilgar Agarzayev, and Alimukhtar Aslanov. According to the activist, all four have been remanded in custody for three months and transferred to a pre-trial detention center.

Bunyatov asserted that the raids were carried out by the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs. He alleges that security forces are pressuring local residents, threatening the relatives of the detainees with the torture of their loved ones should they speak to the media about the situation.

The activist noted that the detainees lack access to independent legal counsel, and their families have not been informed about the possibility of having state-appointed defense attorneys.

"These circumstances make it difficult to obtain information about those who have been detained," Bunyatov said.

*Qəzetçi* reports that it reached out to the press service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs for comment regarding the raids in Nardaran but received no response. The decision by the Azerbaijani authorities to introduce so-called "Regulations on the Attire of Students in State General Education Institutions"—which use formally neutral language to mask an effective ban on wearing the hijab in schools—has sparked a wave of indignation both within the country and abroad, throughout the Muslim world.
Specifically, a resolution from the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan states: "The use of other items of clothing that disrupt the uniformity of the established school uniform, or that do not align with the secular nature of general education, is not permitted."

However, criticism from Turkey has proven particularly sensitive for the Azerbaijani authorities. Oktay Saral, an advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, described the denial of education to female students who wear the hijab based on their religious convictions as unacceptable.

"A headscarf is not an obstacle, but a requirement of faith. The right to education must not be sacrificed for the sake of ideological agendas," he wrote on the social media platform X.

Saral urged the Azerbaijani authorities to reconsider the decision.

In response, Azerbaijan’s ruling party, the New Azerbaijan Party (Yeni Azərbaycan), accused Turkish politicians of interfering in the country’s internal affairs and labeled their statements "irresponsible."