Another ban in Nakhijevan: civil servant-women are banned from wearing shirts with short sleeves
According to the decision of the authorities of the Nakhijevan Autonomous Republic, the women working in governmental institutions should wear only long-sleeved shirts; one of the residents of Nakhijevan reported the Azerbaijani news portal “Axar.az.”
According to the residents, such a ban is to act soon for women working in other areas too. As noted in the article, such a ban has recently been installed for men too.
The portal writes that Hussein Askerov, the head of the press service of the Supreme Council of Nakhijivan, has refused to comment on the decision taken by the authorities.
The head of the Nakhijevan Autonomy Vasif Talibov, who was included in the list of the world's "predators of press" by the organization of "Reporters without Borders", is known for a number of extravagant bans. Thus, on November 2013 he banned giving foreign names to trade centers in Nakhijevan. In August Vasif Talibov forbade the women serving in governmental offices to wear nylon pantyhose.
In August Talibov ordered to close all Internet cafes. Besides that, all possible places where people gather, like cafes, teahouses and hairdressing salons, are closed too. It is also forbidden to walk on the streets in groups, have evening walks, hang laundry on the balcony, bake bread in tonirs (a hole in a ground made for baking bread – Ed.) as well as mark feasts. In September 2012 Talibov arbitrarily banned abortion in Nakhijevan Autonomy.
The international human rights activists call Nakhijevan "black island of Azerbaijan" long ago. The local human rights activists note that the Autonomy has become a human rights violations’ laboratory for the Azerbaijani authorities. Thus, the repression, torture and pressure methods that are used against the oppositionists and civil society activists are being tested in Nakhijevan, and afterwards apply to the whole country.