Police in the Azerbaijani capital Baku have broken up a demonstration for the right to wear Islamic heads scarves in schools, RFE/RL reports.
Hundreds of people took part in the protest outside the Education Ministry, a turnout analysts say is high in tightly controlled secular Azerbaijan.
Police say twelve 12 demonstrators were arrested.
The demonstration was called after Azerbaijan’s Education Minister Misir Mardanov said girls should comply with official rules on school uniforms, which forbid the wearing of the hijab.