Queers in Baku are blackmailed, sexually abused, and extorted by police after the birthday party

On the 26th of July 2023, the police raided a birthday celebration, primarily a group of individuals who identified as queer, taking all to the Yasamal district 26th police station.

Subsequently, they were subjected to forced medical examinations under the false suspicion of drug consumption.

As if this invasive violation wasn’t enough, the police went further, exploiting their positions of authority, touching to intimate body parts of the detainees and blackmailing them. The police threatened them to expose their queer identities to their families unless they paid hush money.

Despite the release in exchange for money, the torment continued, as one of the affected continued to be blackmailed by the police officers, using his academic future as leverage to force compliance. He was asked to engage in sexual acts as a means to avoid expulsion from the university. Otherwise, the police threatened to disclose his identity to the management of the university where he studies. He was given 24 hours to make this life-altering decision, leaving him trapped in an agonizing and traumatic dilemma.