Users placed the beating of detainees in Baku in the context of human rights violations in Azerbaijan.

Security forces' violence against detained nightclub patrons in Baku is unacceptable and violates the law and human rights, Facebook* users from Azerbaijan emphasized. A significant number of readers also used hate speech against LGBT people** during the discussion.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," 106 people were detained during a police raid on the Labyrinth nightclub in Baku on the night of December 27, where members of the LGBT community gathered. According to eyewitnesses and those detained, police used violence against them, subjected them to humiliating treatment, and threatened them.

A Facebook post by the "Caucasian Knot" about the brutal treatment of the detainees had garnered 456 comments by 5 pm Moscow time. Some users, identifying themselves as residents of Azerbaijan, suggested that the arrests were related to the club patrons' public disorder.

Is it normal to ignore residents' concerns after 11 a.m.?

"At 1 a.m., did any of those detained consider that those who can't sleep because of the noise in the club would complain? It's not about their orientation, but about their actions," suggested Nərgiz Axırzaman.

"Is it normal to throw a bacchanalia in a residential area and ignore residents' concerns after 11 a.m.? There are dozens of similar clubs in the city. As long as they don't disturb the peace, no one will complain. Don't use your rainbow flag to cover up administrative violations. "Let them bear responsibility," Shahla Samedova expressed a similar opinion.

"Shahla, if you were given free rein, you would turn the entire city into a quiet tomb of the dead. But at least it would be quiet. The (club) had soundproofing, and people smoked inside to disturb the neighbors less. Your comment is along the lines of: 'If he beats you, then there's a reason for it, it's your own fault,'" Ivan Uvarov countered.

A significant number of readers pointed out that the police raid was carried out specifically because the patrons were LGBT. This polarized opinions. Some commentators considered it discrimination.

"Firstly, it's a techno club, not an LGBT club. The worst that could happen is that everyone was under the influence of drugs, which is why they could have been detained! And even if someone is gay or lesbian, no one has the right to judge these people!” wrote Sofiya Kafarova.

“I initially thought it was a raid on drugs, but then they said no, the violence was more about sexual orientation. And according to eyewitnesses and victims, the abuse was worse (than described),” noted Şümşad Abad.

However, a significant number of readers approved of the harsh measures taken against those detained. The comments included calls for physical violence against LGBT representatives, their imprisonment, and deportation from the country. The security forces were repeatedly praised.

“Our police have risen even higher "in my eyes. Handsome!" declared Sam Baku. "I have no respect for (the police). But this time, no comment. At least they did something right," echoed Aga Guliyev.

People's sexual orientation is not a reason to use violence against them

Other users drew a parallel between the situation in the nightclub and the problem of police violence in general, and also drew attention to the unacceptability of violating human rights.

"Even if I am against public propaganda of LGBT people's sexual orientation is not a reason to use violence against them. Once again, our society shows itself to be intolerant, aggressive, and prone to lawlessness, not only in the person of the police, who are an integral part of our mentally unhealthy society, but also in the comments... Tomorrow, if "The police will beat you up with or without any reason. Don't be surprised if people like you applaud it and praise it in the comments on social media. You yourself, with your intolerant and selfish thinking, are creating this lawlessness that permeates society from top to bottom. There are no others to blame," noted user Rauf Mammadov.

"I don't belong to any minorities and don't support them, but for me personally, this kind of police attitude is much worse. What right do they have to humiliate and treat detainees like this? If people have broken something, they should be detained, charged with breaking the law, and... Where does it say they have the right to keep them in the cold, humiliate them, insult them? So, unfortunately, the worst violators of the law are our police, but it's a shame that some commentators welcome this. But this will only last for a while, until this lawlessness reaches " them," noted Leyla Heydarova.

"No violence can be justified; there are other methods. Laughing at a bloody face and the fact that they were kept in the cold cruelly. Before you applaud the police, think about it: they're not the only ones who do this," responded Zamina Jabbarova to the praise for the police.

"Why beat and humiliate? What kind of lawlessness is this in the country? Everyone has rights, even people of non-traditional sexual orientation. Humiliating people's dignity for any reason is unacceptable," expressed a similar position Arzu Karu.

people's rights are quietly and methodically being squeezed.

"Everyone argues, condemns, "They're climbing into other people's beds and lives, and at the same time, they're silent about the things that really matter. They're talking about how inflation has long since surpassed all acceptable limits, how wages are miserable and haven't kept up with prices, how people's rights are being quietly and methodically squeezed. We live in an oil- and gas-producing country, but we're filling up at prices comparable to countries that never had these resources. Utilities are rising, food prices are rising every week, the future is becoming increasingly uncertain, and yet the news says 'everything is stable and under control.' People are silent because it's easier. It's easier to discuss other people's lives than to admit that you're being slowly and carefully driven into a corner. It's easier to curse in the comments than to ask uncomfortable questions of those who actually influence what's happening," Rich Mich summarized the position of those who oppose the police actions.

It's worth noting that this is not the first time the Azerbaijani authorities have engaged in targeted violence against members of sexual minorities. In October In 2017, human rights activists reported that more than 50 homosexuals and transgender people were detained during police raids in Baku and subjected to violence - beatings, torture with electric shocks, and head shaving. In total, according to human rights activists, about 150 people were detained, 61 people were arrested for 10, 20, and 30 days, the rest were fined.

Later, in 2024, the European Court of Human Rights ruled to exclude from the list of consideration the complaints of representatives of the LGBT community of Azerbaijan, who were detained and arrested in September 2017 in Baku, since the country's government acknowledged the violations of their rights and promised to pay compensation. The applicants insisted on consideration The case was essentially investigated and it was expected that a verdict would be issued requiring the authorities to investigate the actions of the security forces.

There are calls for reprisals against us on social media, and the state is not prosecuting us.

Negative attitudes towards LGBT people are shared by part of Azerbaijani society. For example, in 2022, Baku resident Roman Mammadov recorded a video threatening members of sexual minorities, after which he was detained by police, and a criminal case for hooliganism was opened against him.

The authorities are to blame for the current situation, since they do not even investigate the murders of members of sexual minorities. "Many cases of violence against sexual minorities have gone unpunished; there are calls for reprisals against us on social media, and the state is not prosecuting us. In Azerbaijan "There is no [policy] against violence against LGBT people, laws have not been passed to toughen penalties [for violence], and this contributes to intolerance towards sexual minorities in Azerbaijani society," LGBT activist Ali Melikov previously told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

As a reminder, Azerbaijani freelance journalist Avaz Shikhmamedov, known as Avaz Hafizli, was murdered in February 2022; his cousin is suspected of the crime. Avaz advocated for the rights of sexual minorities, which caused discontent in his family, according to colleagues of the murdered man. Hafizli repeatedly reported threats to law enforcement and held protests, but the authorities took no action.

*The activities of Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) are banned in Russia.

**The organization is listed as extremist.