21-year-old man sentenced to 30 days in prison for TikTok and Instagram posts

A citizen living in Baku and reportedly being queer has been brought to administrative responsibility for the content he shared on social networks.

According to information published by the Patrulaz.az website citing "Qafqazinfo" on March 13, 2026, M. Mammadov (full name not disclosed), born in 2005, living in the Nasimi district of Baku, was detained by the police and sentenced to 30 days in administrative detention. The official statement alleges that he shared videos on TikTok and Instagram that "promote sexual minorities and immorality", offered "intimate services" in exchange for money, and conducted "immoral correspondence". The case was sent to the district court under the articles of the Code of Administrative Offenses regulating prostitution (Article 524) and "petty hooliganism" (Article 510.2).

The official statement did not directly mention M. Mammadov's sexual orientation or gender identity. However, the use of the phrase "propaganda of sexual minorities" in the same sentence as the accusation of "immorality" attracted attention. Such formulations frame queer identity as a legal and moral problem in itself. Such language turns queers into visible targets, and even the mere fact of being visible, rather than a specific activity, can be presented as a sign of a crime.

The fact that the case is taking place digitally, that is, the monitoring of TikTok and Instagram accounts, and the evidence of correspondence, shows the extent to which queer people's online activities are under control in Azerbaijan.

Although same-sex relationships are not prohibited by law in Azerbaijan, queer people face systematic pressure.

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