Thirty-seven people have been arrested in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, following incidents linked to the enforcement of new school uniform requirements. During the same period, users across Azerbaijan reported difficulties accessing Instagram and TikTok. The cause of the disruptions remains unknown, and as of October 12, authorities had not announced any restrictions on access to either platform.
According to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, those arrested are suspected of organizing or actively participating in actions that disrupted public order. Citing the ministry, Azerbaijani news agencies APA and Report.az reported that groups of individuals had instigated confrontations with educational institution staff over the enforcement of school dress codes, damaged public school property, and attempted to obstruct traffic and disrupt normal school operations.
Criminal proceedings have been initiated under Article 233 of Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, which concerns organizing or actively participating in actions that disrupt public order. According to media reports, a school principal’s vehicle was set on fire in the Garadagh district, while an attempt was made to set fire to a school in the Yasamal district. The latter incident was reportedly prevented.
The protests stem from uniform dress requirements for public school students approved by the Azerbaijani government on September 21, 2026. Under the new regulations, school clothing must comply with established standards and the secular nature of education. Although the documents do not explicitly prohibit wearing the hijab, some families have interpreted the new requirements as restrictions on headscarves in schools.
Videos circulating on social media reportedly show female students wearing hijabs being denied entry to schools or prevented from attending classes. Footage of demonstrations outside schools and student boycotts has also emerged.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, teacher Zahra Hasanova said she had been informed that she could no longer wear a hijab at school.
“The hijab is a personal choice, and if one day I decide to remove it, that should also be my choice,” she said.
Local media reported that students at at least two schools had boycotted classes. Journalist Polad Aslanov, who was convicted of treason in 2020, has also launched a hunger strike in protest against the new requirements.
His wife, Gulmira Aslanova, published his statement on Facebook.
“Although I am in prison, I am raising my voice against the violation of constitutional rights through the only means available to me: a hunger strike,” his message stated.
According to APA, public figure Hafiz Safikhanov emphasized that the decision does not contain an explicit ban on the hijab. Azerbaijani lawmaker Jeyhun Mammadov said the reform aims to eliminate visible religious, ethnic, and socioeconomic distinctions in schools.
On October 9, the Baku Education Department announced that inspections would be conducted in schools to monitor compliance with student uniform requirements and teachers’ dress codes. Separate regulations governing teachers’ clothing had been approved by the government on October 6.
Instagram and TikTok Disruptions Reported Across Azerbaijan
On the morning of October 12, Azerbaijani users reported that Instagram feeds and profiles were failing to refresh, while TikTok users experienced difficulties uploading videos and logging into their accounts.
Some users also reported a general slowdown in internet connectivity. Others said they were able to access the platforms using virtual private networks (VPNs).
According to Azerbaijani media, reports of the disruptions began circulating before 9:00 a.m. Monitoring platforms also recorded complaints from users in Azerbaijan, although there were no reports of simultaneous global outages affecting both platforms.
Al Jazeera reported that claims of widespread internet shutdowns were not corroborated by data from OONI and NetBlocks. However, this does not rule out localized difficulties accessing individual platforms.
Azerbaijani authorities, Meta, which owns Instagram, and TikTok had not issued public explanations.
While the ability to access the platforms through VPNs could indicate a problem at the local network level, it does not, by itself, establish that the government deliberately restricted access.
Azerbaijan Raises Allegations of Foreign Interference
Amid the protests, some Azerbaijani media outlets and civil society organizations have raised the possibility of foreign interference, particularly pointing to Iran.
According to local media, Azerbaijan’s National NGO Forum warned of possible foreign influence and attempts to exploit religious issues to create divisions within society.
These statements reflect allegations made by Azerbaijani sources. Publicly available information is insufficient to establish that Iranian authorities organized or directed the demonstrations.
The controversy has also sparked social media campaigns and protests in Turkey.
Some commentators have drawn parallels between the developments in Azerbaijan and Turkey’s 1997 “postmodern coup,” a period during which women wearing headscarves were barred from attending universities, while some public employees were dismissed or forced to resign.
According to Al Jazeera, a demonstration was held outside Azerbaijan’s consulate in Istanbul last week to protest restrictions on wearing the hijab in schools.
The outlet also suggested that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had indirectly criticized external interference during a congress of the New Azerbaijan Party, calling on outsiders not to “interfere in our way of life,” without explicitly mentioning Turkey.
Ankara has not officially responded to those remarks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke about growing discrimination against Muslim women during his September 23 address to the United Nations General Assembly. However, Al Jazeera did not present his remarks as a direct response to the events in Azerbaijan.
Questions Remain Over Social Media Restrictions
As of October 12, it remained unclear whether the reported Instagram and TikTok disruptions were caused by technical failures, local network problems, or deliberate restrictions on access.
It was also unknown whether the disruptions affected the entire country or whether they were connected in any way to the demonstrations or criminal proceedings against protesters.
What began as a dispute over school uniforms has developed into a broader public debate involving religious identity, secular education, access to information, and allegations of foreign interference.
As the situation develops, it remains important to distinguish between officially confirmed information, the authorities’ explanations, and allegations that have yet to be independently verified.
