100 arrested as police raid gay bar in Azerbaijan
It's unclear why the Labyrinth nightclub in Baku was targeted by authorities.
Having decriminalised homosexuality over 25 years ago, it's not clear why authorities in Azerbaijan have targeted a gay nightclub in the country's capital, Baku.
Local media outlets are reporting that 106 people were detained during the raid.
Reports are questioning the police tactics - those detained were reportedly forced to remain outside for over 12 hours in freezing temperatures.
Detainees were reportedly later taken to the Nasimi District Police Department, where they were photographed and fingerprinted. Some detainees have alleged that they suffered physical violence and threats of extortion at the hands of the police.
Details of any charges have not yet been released.
What's life like for LGBTQ people in Azerbaijan?
What's life like for LGBTQ people in Azerbaijan? Let's take a look at some of the key equality indicators.
Is it legal to be gay in Azerbaijan?
Azerbaijan removed the criminalisation of gay sex from its penal code in 2000. This removed the prohibition of sodomy which it had inherited from the period when Azerbaijan was part of the Soviet Union.
The removal of the country’s anti-gay provisions was a requirement for Azerbaijan to join the Council of Europe.
The age of consent has been equalised to 16 for both same-sex and heterosexual sexual encounters.
Are there anti-discrimination protections in place for LGBTQ people in Azerbaijan?
No. There is no protection from discrimination for LGBTQ people.
Is there Marriage Equality in Azerbaijan?
No. There is no legal recognition of same-sex relationships.
What’s life like for LGBTQ people in Azerbaijan?
Although being gay is no longer illegal in Azerbaijan, life for LGBTQ people remains incredibly problematic.
Azerbaijan is a socially conservative country.
Homophobia is systemic and LGBTQ are likely to suffer abuse – this forces LGBTQ people to conceal their sexuality.
In the ILGA report on LGBTQ equality in Europe, Azerbaijan was ranked 48th overall. With a total score of 2.25%, Azerbaijan scored its points on the criteria of Legal Gender Recognition and Civil Society Space - failing to score on any of the other criteria.
