WATCH: Police used truncheons against men, many of them armed with wooden poles or sticks, who gathered in front of the Azerbaijani Education Ministry in Baku on October 5 to protest laws proscribing Islamic head scarves for women in schools. (Video by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service)
Police, Armed Pro-Hijab Activists Clash In Baku
BAKU -- Azerbaijani police say 65 demonstrators have been detained and 20 police officers injured during a violent protest in the capital, Baku.
More than 100 protesters picketed the Education Ministry building on Friday, demanding the scrapping of a ban on headscarves, or hijabs, in schools.
The protesters were armed with wooden poles and were holding placards saying "Freedom to Hijab!", "Stop Islamaphobia," and "Islam Will Win!"
Dozens of police used truncheons against the activists.
Several of the protesters, who resisted the police intervention, were detained.
Police and a protester armed with a wooden stick clash in front of the Azerbaijani Education Ministry building in Baku on October 5.
Azerbaijan is a mainly Muslim country with deep Islamic traditions.
Azerbaijan's Ministry of Education officially banned head scarves for girls at schools.
Muslim activists have occasionally protested the ban for some time.
Despite near-total government control over the media, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service has built a high-impact social-media presence in Azerbaijan and a reputation as a leading source of independent news.
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
