Azerbaijan issues international warrant for Turkish journalist

Azerbaijan has issued an international arrest warrant for Turkish journalist Celal Çiftçi following his social media posts criticizing President Ilham Aliyev. Çiftçi shared an AI-generated image depicting Aliyev being ousted from power, accompanied by a caption regarding the downfall of those who oppose God. The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office has charged Çiftçi with ‘calling for the overthrow of the Azerbaijani government by coup’ and ‘inciting religious extremism,’ requesting assistance from Turkey in the investigation.

Çiftçi, who serves as a deputy chairman of the Anadolu Press Union, has since deleted the post and issued a public apology to the Azerbaijani state and people, expressing regret for the distress caused.

The legal action follows tensions regarding a new regulation in Azerbaijani state middle schools that prohibits clothing deemed incompatible with secularism. While the regulation does not explicitly mention the hijab, critics and religious leaders have interpreted it as a ban on headscarves in schools and universities.

In response to the situation, the Secretary General of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, Muhammed Ali es-Sallabi, has called upon Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to intervene. Es-Sallabi highlighted Turkey's historical military and political support for Azerbaijan during the Karabakh war and urged Erdoğan to address the restrictions on religious attire affecting students in Azerbaijan.