Azerbaijani pupils boycott classes over hijab restrictions

Students in Azerbaijan are continuing to protest new school uniform rules under which girls who wear the hijab are barred from classes. Reports of restrictions on internet access surfaced online on Monday, but there has been no official confirmation.

RuskiGazeta Editorial DeskOctober 12, 2026, 11:35 AMUpdated: October 12, 2026, 02:23 PM

Azerbaijani pupils boycott classes over hijab restrictions

Students at several schools in Azerbaijan have refused to attend classes in protest against restrictions on girls who wear the hijab, local media reported. According to OC Media, students in at least two schools, including in the Masally district, demanded that classmates who wear hijabs be allowed back into their classrooms. Al Jazeera television aired footage of the students’ Oct. 10 protests.

The protests were triggered by new school uniform rules and dress requirements for teachers approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on Sept. 21. Authorities justify the changes by citing the secular nature of state education. The Baku education department announced that it would begin checking how schools are complying with the new requirements.

On Monday, reports emerged online of internet outages and disrupted access to social networks, including Instagram and TikTok, amid the controversy over the ban. There have been no official statements about any restrictions, and the reports could not yet be independently verified.

Theologian jailed, journalist on hunger strike

The restrictions drew criticism from students, parents and religious figures. On Sept. 24, a court sentenced a theologian who had criticized the new rules to 30 days of administrative detention; his family links the detention to his social media posts.

Jailed journalist Polad Aslanov has gone on hunger strike. He said he is standing up for the right to education of his own child and of all schoolgirls who wear the hijab, as well as for female teachers who are “being forced to choose between working at a school and the hijab.” Azerbaijan’s Constitution guarantees free, compulsory secondary education, but it contains no separate provision on the right to wear the hijab at school.

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