Shahizyar Huseynova, who took part in a demonstration against restrictions on wearing the hijab in Azerbaijani schools, has been placed in custody for four months. This was reported by her husband, Aga Huseynov, an activist with the "Muslim Unity" movement.

On October 13, Huseynova participated in a protest near School No. 187 in the settlement of Mashtaga, located in Baku’s Sabunchu district. She was protesting the fact that her daughter had been barred from attending classes because she was wearing a hijab. Security forces detained Huseynova that same day.

According to her husband, the security officers treated her roughly during the arrest and issued threats in the presence of their children. Since October 13, Aga Huseynov had been trying to determine his wife’s whereabouts. He learned of her arrest the following day after speaking with a police officer, who informed him that she had been sent to a pre-trial detention center in Kurdakhani for a four-month period.

"Is it really possible to arrest someone for their beliefs? They claim that we force our children to wear the hijab through psychological coercion, yet it is obvious that they are the ones inflicting psychological trauma on our children," the independent Azerbaijani outlet *Abzas Media* quoted Huseynov as saying.

The activist did not specify the legal charge under which his wife was arrested. He also criticized the President of Azerbaijan, noting that their children are now separated from their mother.

Protests against restrictions on the hijab in Azerbaijani schools have taken place in Baku and other locations. On October 12, the country’s Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the arrest of 37 individuals amid disputes surrounding new requirements for school uniforms. According to the authorities, the individuals in question engaged in confrontations with school staff, damaged state property, and attempted to disrupt both traffic and the operations of educational institutions. An investigation has been launched, with criminal charges filed for organizing or actively participating in actions that violate public order.

New requirements for school uniforms were introduced in September. Although the document does not explicitly ban the hijab, a provision regarding attire inconsistent with the principles of secular education has allowed some schools to bar female students wearing headscarves from attending classes. These restrictions have sparked debate beyond the country’s borders: Oktay Saral, an advisor to the President of Turkey, urged the Azerbaijani authorities to reconsider the decision, while former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili—currently in detention—expressed his support, describing it as "an important and bold step by Ilham Aliyev to strengthen Azerbaijan as a secular state and curb the influence of Islamists."