Fake AI-Generated Coup Videos Spread in Azerbaijan Amid Hijab Protests
False AI-generated videos depicting a military coup in Azerbaijan surfaced on social media amid widespread protests over strict new hijab bans in state schools.
Social media platforms became a hotbed of disinformation on Wednesday as several fabricated videos, screenshots, and images falsely depicted a military coup or an attempted overthrow in Azerbaijan.
The circulating videos showed Azerbaijani soldiers allegedly tearing down portraits of President Ilham Aliyev and surrounding government buildings, alongside images of armored vehicles in the capital of Baku. A brief investigation revealed that these visuals were generated using artificial intelligence and that no such events were taking place in the Caucasian nation.
Azerbaijani bloggers reported that the source of these deepfakes traced back to bot networks operated by actors in Iran and Turkey. This appears to be part of a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at inciting street protests against new hijab restrictions in the secular Shiite-majority country. The panic follows unusual and widespread demonstrations that erupted earlier this week, resulting in hundreds of arrests.
The Roots of Public Unrest
Unrest broke out across Azerbaijan after authorities began strictly enforcing regulations prohibiting the wearing of the hijab or other religious attire in public schools. The government of Ilham Aliyev maintains a strict commitment to secular and republican values, actively countering religious influences from neighboring Iran.
Simultaneously, tensions have risen regarding external pressures, including from Turkey. Members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party reacted with fury to Baku's policy, prompting thousands to demonstrate outside the Azerbaijani embassy in Ankara, demanding the repeal of the legislation and the overthrow of the government.
"We will die before we let go of the hijab," chanted protesters at one school, reflecting the rising religious and political tensions fueled by the state's new dress code enforcement.
Crackdown on School Dress Codes
The public storm centers on new regulations in state schools that effectively ban the hijab. While government decrees do not explicitly name the Islamic headscarf, they forbid any garments that violate the constitutional principle of secularism in education. Consequently, school administrations have barred veiled students and teachers from entering classrooms, igniting rare protests in the authoritarian state.
