Joint Statement of Nafas LGBTI Azerbaijan Alliance, Minority Azerbaijan and AZAD LGBTI Collective

Every year, millions of women, cis-women and the queer community celebrate March 8 as World Women's Day. This day began in 1908 in New York with more than 15,000 women marching on together with the initiative of the Social Democratic Women's Movement. Every year, the march is taking place in different parts of the world for women's and cis-women rights, and accompanied by various measures to create a safe environment for them, to recognise and protect their rights.

Feminists have been organising marches in Azerbaijan for three years now. The main slogan of the march in 2019 was "March against violence", in 2020 - "Free streets are ours". This year, feminists traditionally held 8 March. The slogan of the march was "For our rights". 

Last year, on the eve of the march, the accounts of feminist and march organiser Gulnara Mehdiyeva were hacked. Using the hacked information and personal data, the government sought to trivialise the activities of the feminist activist. 

During this year's march, feminist activist Narmin Shahmarzadeh's Facebook account was hacked and her personal information used to discredit and trivialise her activities.

We, as Nafas LGBTI Azerbaijan Alliance, Minority Azerbaijan, AZAD LGBTI Collective, condemn the political repression against feminism and feminists, express our support for oppressed feminist activists and demand an end to the ugly campaigns against them!

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