August 10, 2021, Baku- Ulviyya Ali, Nargis Absalamova, and Elnare Gasimova were verbally abused and physically assaulted by the police despite identifying themselves as journalists. The journalists were attacked while covering a protest against the murder of 24-year-old Sevinj Maharramova. Maharramova was allegedly murdered by her husband leading to protests regarding the persecution of women in the country. 

The incident took place on August 4 during a protest organized outside the Baku police station by women rights activists. The police cracked down on the demonstration and detained journalists Ulviyya Ali, Nargis Absalamova, and Elnare Gasimova despite identification. The journalists were ordered to delete the coverage of the event they had recorded on their phones, however the videos had already been telecasted by that point. Alongside the journalists, the police also held three activists, Gulnara Mehdiyeva, Sevgi Ismayilbayli, and Narmin Shahmarzade.

According to the journalists, the police not only verbally insulted them but also punched them. The activists were particularly targeted by the police. ‘Nargiz Absalamova’s lip exploded, her finger was injured and swollen’, Ulviyya Ali, told a local publication. ‘Gulnara and Narmin were repeatedly punched in the head. They hit Sevgi against the wall.’ 

The police also hurled gendered slurs at the women they had detained. ‘The police said to us: “you are a whore, Sevinj died because of you, her husband killed her because she joined you — the feminists”.’ Ali said. She also claimed that the police had damaged her camera when they had physically attacked her at the protest.

The Interior Ministry of Azerbaijan denied these allegations once the journalists were let go without charge. ‘It’s not true. It is completely unfounded. The allegations they make on social media, such as being subjected to any form of pressure, such as physical pressure, is nonsense’, spokesperson Elshad Hajiyev said.

However, the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, an Azerbaijani press freedom watchdog, is not buying this rhetoric. ‘The beating and harassment of female journalists and activists at the police station runs counter to Azerbaijan’s commitments to the Council of Europe and the United Nations’, their representative said, adding that any claim that the police is not involved in violence is not just false but also ridiculous.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is appalled by the actions of the Azerbaijani police and the impunity they are allowed, as reflected in the actions of the Interior Ministry. Violence against women is a systemic issue that needs to urgently be addressed by the state. The actions of the police have displayed that state institutions instead of providing women the support and safety that all citizens are entitled to, threaten and demean their struggle for equality. The police officers who are responsible for the grotesque violation of civil rights that the women faced at the police station need to be urgently held to account.