Three mothers arrested in Azerbaijan after their daughters were barred from school over the hijab

Girls wearing the hijab continue to be barred from schools in Azerbaijan, and three of the girls' mothers have been arrested. Those arrested are Nubar Hasanova, Nargizkhanim Mammadova and Chinara Dargahova.

Nubar Hasanova, whose 15-year-old daughter was not admitted to school because of her headscarf, protested and tried to take her daughter into the classroom. She was then detained by plainclothes police officers using rough force and was arrested.

Nargizkhanim Mammadova is also among the arrested mothers. Her daughter, a 3rd-grade pupil, was forcibly removed from class and taken to a psychologist to make her remove her headscarf.

Chinara Dargahova, the mother of a 4th-grade pupil, was made to delete her protest videos on the promise that "her daughter would be admitted to class", and was then arrested as well.

On 21 September 2026, Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers amended the school uniform regulations to prohibit clothing "inconsistent with the principle of secular education". The regulations do not explicitly mention the hijab. After the rules took effect on 12 October, schools began refusing entry to girls wearing headscarves.

On 12 October, the Interior Ministry said 37 people had been detained in Baku for disrupting public order. Activist Ilkin Huseynov, who protested the ban, received a 30-day administrative detention. Prisoner Yaver Ismayilzade, who went on hunger strike in protest against the hijab ban, was also reported to have been beaten in prison.

In October, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called on the Azerbaijani authorities to reverse the hijab restrictions in schools and release peaceful protesters.