Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, as reports emerged that 88 people had been detained in the Azerbaijani village of Nardaran amid protests against restrictions on wearing the hijab.
The reported detentions come amid growing tensions over hijab restrictions in Azerbaijani schools, with an activist alleging that most of those detained in Nardaran face criminal charges and that police have pressured residents and restricted detainees’ access to independent lawyers. Meanwhile, the two presidents reaffirmed their countries’ close ties, with Erdoğan expressing confidence that bilateral cooperation would continue to develop.
Earlier, authorities reported that 37 people had been detained during protests against the hijab restrictions, while six students were arrested over an alleged attempt to set fire to a school.
According to Azerbaijan’s presidential press service, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as regional and global issues.
Erdoğan expressed confidence that cooperation between the two countries, based on their ‘brotherly ties’, would continue to develop further.
He also reiterated his congratulations to Azerbaijan on the 35th anniversary of the restoration of its independence and invited Aliyev to attend the 13th summit of the Organisation of Turkic States, scheduled to take place in Ankara.
Aliyev thanked Erdoğan for the call and his congratulations, expressing confidence that relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey would continue to develop successfully.
Meanwhile, 88 people have been detained in Nardaran for protesting against the hijab ban, with criminal cases opened against the majority, according to Alamdar Bunyatov, an activist with the European representation of the Muslim Unity Movement, who spoke to Qəzetçi.
Bunyatov said that some of those detained had been placed under administrative arrest, while criminal proceedings had been initiated against most of them.
Among those facing criminal charges are cousins Mammad Rustamzada and Kamran Rustamov, both religious performers who sing Islamic hymns at weddings. Bunyatov alleged that police had treated them with particular brutality.
Criminal cases have also been opened against four other village residents — Rasim Asgarov, Hikmat Valiyev, Ilgar Agarzayev, and Alimukhtar Aslanov. All four have been remanded in custody for three months and transferred to a pre-trial detention facility, according to Bunyatov.
He said that raids in Nardaran were being carried out by the Interior Ministry’s Main Directorate for Combating Organised Crime.
Bunyatov alleged that police had been treating residents harshly and putting them under pressure. He also claimed that relatives of detainees had been warned that their family members could face torture in custody if they shared information with the media.
The detainees have reportedly also been denied access to independent legal representation. According to Bunyatov, they do not have independent lawyers, and their families have not been informed about the possibility of receiving state-appointed legal counsel.
‘These circumstances make it difficult to obtain information about those detained’, Bunyatov said.
Qəzetçi said it had contacted the Interior Ministry’s press service regarding the police raids in Nardaran but had received no response to its questions.
Azerbaijani media hails Erdoğan’s call with Aliyev, but says it should have come sooner
In the hours before Erdoğan’s call with Aliyev, Azerbaijani media outlets had been publishing accusations against the Turkish government and religious organisations in Turkey. Shortly after, however, their tone shifted, with outlets that had criticised Erdoğan’s administration reframing the conversation as a response to those seeking to undermine Azerbaijani–Turkish friendship.
For example, the pro-government media outlet APA published several critical reports about Turkey’s ruling circles during the tensions, at times comparing Ankara’s position with Tehran’s and portraying Iran’s official stance more favourably. It also published an extensive report on Turkey’s trade relations with Israel.
On Thursday, however, an analysis published by APA described the phone call as a positive political signal while also highlighting the significance of steps that had not been taken in a timely manner. The article stressed the need for more effective political and diplomatic mechanisms to prevent similar incidents from recurring, adding that the trust between Aliyev and Erdoğan remained one of the ‘strongest pillars’ of the Azerbaijan–Turkey alliance.
A similar shift was evident in an article published by Caliber, another pro-government outlet. Referring to critics of the Turkish government, the article noted that, for reasons it did not elaborate on, their positive reactions to the phone call had been unexpected and almost euphoric.
However, both APA and Caliber also appeared to suggest that Erdoğan had failed to act in a timely manner, indicating that the phone call had not entirely dispelled criticism of Ankara’s handling of the dispute.