Allegations of Police Violence Against Teenagers: “Police in this country have been given so much power…”

A lawyer says that although Azerbaijan has mechanisms to hold police accountable for abuse, the law is not enforced effectively.

Videos have circulated on social media allegedly showing teenagers subjected to police violence in Azerbaijan.

On June 19, blogger Mehman Huseynov posted a video claiming that officers from Police Station No. 37 of the Khatai District Police Department forced five children aged 14–15 into a police vehicle and subjected them to physical violence.

“The police took the children to a dark area and beat them. Later, they brought them to the station, called their parents, and released the children in exchange for bribes,” Huseynov alleged.

On June 22, he shared an audio recording purportedly capturing the incident.

The recording includes sounds of alleged verbal abuse and violence against the minors by the police.

The incident, said to have occurred inside a police patrol car, sparked widespread outrage on social media.

Commenters pointed out that police were also implicated in the suspicious death of Elgun Ibrahimov in Ganja last month.

Meydan TV reached out to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for comment on these allegations, but received no response.

Lawyer Khalid Bagirov told Meydan TV that exceeding authority, violence, and abusive behavior by the police are criminal acts:
“It is illegal for police to insult, threaten, or use physical force against anyone — let alone children. Violence against minors is an especially serious issue.”

Bagirov explained that while Azerbaijan’s legal system provides for accountability for police misconduct, the law is not applied effectively:

“Police in this country have been given so much unchecked power that they see themselves as the force behind the system. That’s why they act as they wish. In normal countries, police are held criminally responsible for abuse of power or acts of torture.”