A Baku-based activist has reportedly gone missing after launching a tutoring initiative for children boycotting school over hijab restrictions, with no official explanation of his disappearance.
Huseynov’s whereabouts have been unknown since the previous day, shortly after the creation of the “Let Leyli Go to School” initiative. The project aimed to provide additional lessons for students who had stopped attending classes in protest against restrictions on wearing hijabs in schools. It remains unclear whether any students had managed to benefit from the educational opportunities offered by the initiative, OC Media reported.
By the morning of October 15, the initiative’s official website and Instagram page were already inaccessible.
Another activist, Javid Agha, reported on X that unidentified individuals had visited Huseynov’s apartment on Izzat Nabiyev Street at approximately 4 p.m. Huseynov left his home with them, after which attempts to contact him were unsuccessful. According to reports, his phone has remained switched off since then, and no information about his whereabouts has emerged.
Agha also drew attention to a notification he had received through Facebook Messenger indicating that a new device had been added to a conversation with Huseynov’s account.
“I had sent him a message on Facebook Messenger, and a short while ago I saw a notification saying, ‘Huseynov Ilkin added a new device to this conversation.’
“It appears that his account may have been compromised. We are worried about Ilkin,” the activist wrote.
So far, official sources have not released any information confirming that Huseynov has been arrested or detained.
According to Javid Agha, Huseynov is associated with the “Let Leyli Go to School” initiative, which was reportedly established earlier this week following the latest restrictions on wearing hijabs in Azerbaijani schools.
The organizers intended to create an educational platform through which teachers could provide lessons to students who were not attending school because of the hijab ban. The aim was to ensure continuity in the children’s education and prevent them from being deprived of learning opportunities.
The project also briefly operated an Instagram account under the username “qoymektebegetsin”, which now appears to have been deleted.
“I suspect he has been arrested, and I believe this is the reason,” Javid Agha stated.
It remains unknown whether Huseynov was taken into custody or arrested by law enforcement officers. No official confirmation has been provided regarding either his whereabouts or the identities of the unidentified individuals who visited his apartment.
Protests have taken place in Azerbaijan against the decision to restrict the wearing of hijabs in educational institutions. Following the introduction of the new requirements, several schools reportedly prevented female students and teachers wearing hijabs from attending classes.
