Azerbaijan has issued arrest warrants and ordered an international search for seven people living in Turkey over allegations that they called for the violent overthrow of its government during protests against restrictions on religious clothing in schools.
Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office yesterday said the Binagadi District Court in Baku had issued the warrants. It also announced that judicial cooperation with Turkish authorities was underway.
The investigation concerns demonstrations outside Azerbaijan's diplomatic missions in İstanbul and Ankara, as well as social media posts criticizing the country's authorities.
The seven individuals are Rıdvan Kaya, chair of the rights group Özgür-Der and a columnist for Haksöz; Zekeriya Ceran, a Köklü Değişim columnist and Değişim TV presenter known as Abdullah İmamoğlu; Fatih Tezcan, lawyer Ahmet Şanlı; researcher Fahrettin Taşkaya Saral; Abdurrahman Tumer; and Alparslan Tanrıkulu.
Prosecutors allege calls for overthrow of government
The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office accused the seven individuals of publishing social media content between Sep 25 and Oct 18 that encouraged the forcible alteration of Azerbaijan's constitutional order and incited violence and religious hatred.
Prosecutors alleged that Kaya called for the forcible seizure of power during an Oct 3 demonstration outside Azerbaijan's Consulate General in İstanbul. They also accused Kaya and Ceran of making similar calls at an Oct 13 protest outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in Ankara.
"The speeches and posts in question were not limited to individuals expressing their religious beliefs or criticizing state institutions," the prosecutor's office said.
The statement did not publish the full transcripts of the speeches or the individual social media posts cited as evidence. Prosecutors said the examination of electronic evidence was continuing.
The seven face charges under Articles 281.2, 283.2.1 and 167-3.1 of Azerbaijan's Penal Code. The allegations include repeated public calls for the forcible seizure of power or alteration of the constitutional order, incitement of religious hatred through violence, and the production or distribution of materials promoting religious extremism.
The investigation had already expanded to include Celal Çiftçi, a columnist for the Şanlıurfa-based Olay newspaper, who was charged and placed on an international wanted list on Oct 16.
The latest announcement brings the number of people sought internationally in connection with the investigation to at least eight.
Protests in Turkey
The Sep 21 decision by Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers prohibits additional clothing items considered incompatible with mandatory school uniforms and "the principle of secular education."
Although the regulation does not explicitly mention headscarves, reports and footage of students wearing headscarves being denied entry to schools prompted protests in Azerbaijan and Turkey.
At a demonstration organized by Özgür-Der in İstanbul on Oct 3, protesters carried banners opposing the restrictions.
Ahmet Kerim Artuk criticized the regulation in a speech published by Haksöz.
"This step has provided an official basis for a restrictive approach that was already being implemented unlawfully in practice," he said.
Headscarf Ban Lifted in Turkish Armed Forces
Hülya Şekerci, a founding former chair of Özgür-Der, compared the restrictions to those imposed on headscarves in Turkey in the 1990s.
The controversy subsequently widened to include criticism of Azerbaijan's relations with Israel and exchanges between the ruling parties of Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Despite the political tensions, the two countries have maintained their cooperation in defense and energy.
Reactions from Turkish leaders
The headscarf controversy also prompted differing responses from politicians within Turkey's governing alliance.
Oktay Saral, a senior adviser to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, criticized the restrictions in an Oct 12 post on X.
"How can it be compatible with conscience or justice to leave a student who covers her head because of her faith standing outside the school gates?" he asked. "The headscarf is not an obstacle, it is a requirement of faith."
Saral called on Baku to reverse the decision. Lawmakers from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) also voiced opposition to the restrictions.
Turkey Advances to Remove Headscarf Ban
However, Ömer Çelik, spokesperson of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), took a different approach in an Oct 7 statement, saying that Turkey would not allow anyone to drive a wedge between Ankara and Baku.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli, a key ally of President Erdoağn, emphasized respect for both countries' domestic legal systems in an Oct 14 statement.
According to Bahçeli's statement, Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are expected to meet at the Organization of Turkic States summit in Ankara on Oct 30.
Despite the tensions, Erdoğan congratulated Azerbaijan's independence day in a warm message on social media where he called his Azerbaijani counterpart İlham Aliyev "my brother."
No INTERPOL notice
The Azerbaijani prosecutor's announcement of an international search does not establish that INTERPOL has issued red notices for the individuals concerned.
According to INTERPOL, a red notice is not itself an international arrest warrant. It is a request to locate and provisionally arrest a person, subject to the laws of the country receiving the notice.
Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office said the investigation remained ongoing and that judicial cooperation with the relevant Turkish authorities was continuing.
(AEK/VK)