The group held up images of their religious leaders and preached about their faith peacefully
Credit:AROPL
In a move raising concerns over religious freedom, Azerbaijani authorities detained eleven members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL) on July 20 at 4pm in Baku’s central Fountain Square.
The group, consisting of Azeri citizens Jalal Hajiyev, Ramil Ahmadov, Tural Veliyev, Ali Yasar Jafarov, Nijat Gahramanov, Rustam Gasimli, Fegan Rahimov, Kamil Qafarli, Taleh İmanov Ali Oglu, Elnur Mammadov, and Neriman Shabanzade.
The group were reportedly engaged in peaceful missionary activity. Eyewitness accounts and a widely circulated social media video depict the group holding religious imagery and calmly preaching about their faith. However, within minutes, police and military personnel surrounded them, claiming their activity disturbed passers-by.
A video shows missionaries being detained.
Despite initially complying with requests, the video, captured by bystander Behruz Cebrailov, shows the missionaries being detained after ten minutes. The footage depicts them being forcefully taken into police vehicles while still holding religious materials.
The detained individuals are currently held at Sabayil District Police Department No. 9. They face charges of “resisting police” (Article 315) and “disturbing public order” (Article 233) of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code. These charges are frequently used against dissidents and individuals expressing non-mainstream beliefs.
History has repeated itself
The AROPL has vehemently condemned the incident, highlighting it as a clear violation of their right to freedom of religion. James Pollard, of AROPL, said – “Sadly history has repeated itself and we now report the case of a recent oppressive stance against members of the faith in Azerbaijan, in contravention of the articles of faith they claim to uphold.”
