Due to concerns about retaliation, any details that would expose identity are withheld from this communication below. Within these constraints, the publicly available information can be accessed through the links provided at the end of this call.
On the night of 26-27 December 2025, Azerbaijani police carried a large-scale raid on a queer-friendly nightclub in Baku, resulting in mass detention of 106 people.
According to local queer media platforms and testimonies collected by Nafas, individuals detained during the raid were subjected to degrading, inhuman, and potentially torturous treatment at the hands of the police.
According to testimonies collected by Nafas and reports on local queer media platforms, the raid took place after midnight. All individuals present at the venue were reportedly forced into police vehicles and taken to the Nasimi District Police Department, where they were held for 14 to 20 hours.
According to testimonies collected by Nafas, the police have raided the place due to accusations of drug distribution inside the club. However, no evidence was found to support that allegation. Despite this, all detainees were charged with an administrative offence (smoking in an enclosed space) and fined 30-50 AZN (approximately 17-25 USD).
However, testimonies indicate that the fines were imposed after prolonged detention, and in some cases under coercion. Multiple testimonies indicate that detainees were told they would not be released unless the fines were paid, and that some remained in custody for hours even after payment.
Moreover, testimonies consistently indicate a pattern of abuse and misconduct during the raid and throughout detention at the police station, including:
– Police vehicles were overcrowded beyond capacity and driven at high speed;
– A group of 20 detainees being kept outdoors for approximately 2 hours in cold conditions, many wearing only light clothing;
– All detainees are being forced to stand for extended periods in corridors, including military-style commands, and deliberately denied rest, food, and the ability to sit, kneel, or lean against walls;
– Denial of access to water, food, and toilets, with requests reportedly met with verbal abuse, humiliation and psychological intimidation;
– Collecting pin codes of each phone, while forcing those who deny at first, then searching phones, viewing private messages and images, and in some cases, police transferring intimate photos of detainees to their personal devices;
– All have experienced serious physical and emotional distress, including one experiencing a seizure, while requests for medical assistance were dismissed and mocked by the police instead, as if the detainee was acting;
– Detainees being subjected both privately and publicly to degrading questions and insulting comments regarding their identities, sexual orientation, and sexual experiences. Some officers reportedly filmed detainees without explanation or consent;
– Whether in private or publicly among other officers, detainees were asked degrading and insulting questions about their identities and sexual orientation, as well as their sexual experiences and or preferences. Some police officers were periodically filming detainees with no explanation or consent;
– One detainee was singled out after objecting to humiliating and degrading questioning by police officers. As punishment, the individual was reportedly taken to another room and severely beaten;
– No information was provided regarding access to a lawyer, and deliberate denial to make a phone call;
– The compulsory fingerprinting of all detainees;
– Several testimonies given to Nafas further indicate that they have also seen some being taken separately to a senior officer’s room, raising serious concerns about gender-based abuse and sexual harassment attempts within police custody;
– Parents who attempted to approach the police department were mocked and verbally abused by police officers, shouting at parents, “Do you even know who your child is?”, followed by degrading and homophobic language;
– All refrain from filing complaints with official authorities or initiating legal proceedings due to fear of possible retaliation.
* excerpts / translated from Azerbaijani
[1]
“On that night, police suddenly entered the club. They were shouting “get on the ground.” Some of us, being in shock, were unable to immediately comprehend what was happening and froze in place. Police officers kicked us and forcibly pushed to the ground. They then began roughly forcing everyone into police vehicles. Our arms were tightly restrained, and some even were handcuffed.”
[2]
“We were kept for several hours outdoors in the cold, lined up in rows, wearing only the clothes we had on when we were taken from the club. Many were wearing light clothing. We tried to keep each other warm by taking turns sharing warmer garments or by standing close shoulder to shoulder. We were not allowed to use the toilet. One of us could no longer endure it and was forced to relieve themselves in their clothes. That person had to remain in that clothes until being released from the police station.”
[3]
“We were not allowed to sit down. Even crouching on the floor was punished. When someone tried to crouch, officers kicked them and forced them to stand again. One police officer told us, ‘I will teach you here what you never learned during military service,’ and began lining us up and issuing military-style commands. He shouted threats, saying that “If I see anyone who spoke, bent their knees, stepped out of line or moved at all, I will r**e that person.”
[4]
“One person who spoke back was taken into a separate room and beaten severely that his face was covered in injuries and his lip was split. They even urinated on him. He was threatened so badly that when anyone later asked what had happened to his face, he was saying that he had been in a fight before coming to the club. That was a lie. His face was completely fine when I saw him in the club. Other officers also tried to falsely accuse him, claiming the injuries were caused by the consistent use of drug.”
[5]
“Towards the morning, based on conversations I overheard among police officers, I understood that the head of the police department was not aware of the raid in advance. When he arrived later that morning, we were already lined up in the corridor. Upon seeing us, he asked, “What is this?” The officers gave him a brief explanation. He then ordered that our phones be examined and added that all parents should be called in and “taught a lesson one by one. They went through our private messages and photos on our phones. After we were released, I learned from someone else that police officers had copied nude photos onto their own devices. The fear that my images might be among them and not knowing where those images could end up in the future worries me deeply.”
The scale of this raid and the consistency of testimonies indicate potential violations of Azerbaijan’s obligations under international law, including the prohibition of torture and degrading treatment, the right to liberty and security, and the right to privacy.
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