106 people have been arrested following a reported raid on a queer-friendly nightclub in Baku, Azerbaijan.

According to Attitude, over 100 people claim that they were harassed and humiliated by police officers following a raid on Labyrinth, a queer-friendly nightclub in the capital city. Additionally, Qiy Vaar, a pro-LGBTQ+ rights organisation based in Azerbaijan, claim detainees were left to stand out in the cold for long periods, and some reportedly lost consciousness.

Qiy Vaar also claim that there were incidents of violence at the police station, and that one woman’s hair was cut, while another person suffered a broken tooth. The group also allege that police officers used “humiliating expressions”, threatened detainees and demanded bribes.

In a statement, ILGA-Europe said they were “deeply concerned” about reports of a police raid in Baku, and shared their support for the LGBTQ+ community in Azerbaijan.

“We stand in solidarity with the LGBTI community in Azerbaijan and support our member organisation in Azerbaijan, Qiy Vaar’s call for an urgent investigation and a public statement by the authorities,” the statement said.

“Human rights and dignity must be upheld for everyone in Azerbaijan.”

This is not the first report of a raid targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Azerbaijan. In 2017, over 100 people who were suspected of being gay, lesbian or trans were rounded up by police in what Amnesty International described as a “deliberate attempt to intimidate”.

In Azerbaijan, same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 2000; however, protections for the LGBTQ+ community rank consistently low. The country has no anti-discrimination laws that specify gender identity or sexual orientation, same-sex couples cannot marry, and transgender people cannot change their legal gender.

Amnesty International states that strong negative attitudes towards LGBTQ+ people are still common, and that the community is subject to “a general crackdown” on rights, in addition to transphobia and homophobia. The human rights organisation has also noted an “increase in cases of harassment and intimidation of prominent human rights activists by the Azerbaijani authorities.”