There are reports of police brutality in the city.

At the police station, they forced us to stand as a form of torture; we were not allowed to squat or lean against the wall. When we sat down, they kicked us to make us stand again. We were not allowed to go to the toilet; a few people couldn’t bear it and wet their pants. The police insulted, swore at, and mocked us. They paid no attention to those whose condition worsened.”

These words were spoken to Meydan TV on December 27 by one of the LGBTQ+ individuals detained during a police raid near the Guir community at the “Labyrinth” club in central Baku. During the incident, 106 LGBTQ+ citizens were detained. Some of them spoke about the pressure, violence, degrading treatment, extortion, and even sexual abuse they faced at the Nasimi District Police Department, requesting that their names not be disclosed due to life-threatening concerns.

“At around 1 a.m., the police suddenly raided the club. They forcibly pushed us into police vans. Six people were made to sit in spaces meant for three, and they took us to the Nasimi District Police Department, leaving us outside for two full hours in the winter cold wearing thin clothing. Then they put us in rooms one by one and started asking humiliating and obscene questions about our intimate lives and sexual orientation,” said one of the detainees.

According to him, one person was beaten for responding firmly to the police:

“He answered the police back, so they took him to another room. When they returned him, his face was covered in blood and his lip was split. Three police officers had even urinated on his head. When asked how his injuries happened, he said it was from a fight before coming to the club. Later, other officers forced him to claim that the injuries on his face were caused by ‘snorting pat’.”

LGBTQ+ activist Ali Malikov told Meydan TV that the main reason behind these events is the government’s desire to exert total control over all independent groups in Azerbaijan:

“We do not fit the ‘normative and obedient’ model. Even if the authorities do not openly support transphobia in society, they use it as a tool and conduct regular raids against our community. This is not a new incident for us. Earlier this year, the police accessed LGBTQ+ dating sites, collected people’s information, and blackmailed them.”

Police Brutality