Reason for restrictions on wearing hijabs in Azerbaijan is neutralizing Iranian influence: Tigran Kocharyan

Protests against restrictions on wearing hijabs in Azerbaijani schools may be driven not only by religious or domestic political factors but also by regional geopolitical developments. This opinion was expressed by Tigran Kocharyan, editor-in-chief of Alpha News, commenting on the protests that have been continuing in Baku and other cities of Azerbaijan for more than two weeks.

According to him, the decision of the Azerbaijani authorities to restrict the wearing of hijabs in schools came as a surprise to many. In Kocharyan’s opinion, this step may also be aimed at identifying and neutralizing circles that sympathize with Iran or take pro-Iranian positions.

“Israel is also planning certain actions from the territory of Azerbaijan. If there is a need to carry out a military operation against Iran, it will be necessary to neutralize the people with the most active pro-Iranian orientation. And how can they be identified? They need to be provoked, and those who come out to protest or otherwise express their position may end up in the authorities’ spotlight,” Kocharyan noted.

According to him, the processes taking place in Azerbaijan can also be seen as an attempt to control the domestic sphere and isolate circles undesirable to the authorities. Kocharyan did not rule out the possibility of Israeli influence on these events.