Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev was in Washington, D.C., Thursday for Donald Trump’s inaugural Board of Peace meeting. When protesters showed up outside of his hotel, his bodyguards attacked them.
The protesters at the Waldorf Astoria on Pennsylvania Avenue were calling for the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, which has been under Aliyev’s dictatorial rule for more than 20 years. In a statement, the Embassy of Azerbaijan alleged the protesters “violently attempted to enter the protected area and took offensive actions against the Presidential vehicle” when Aliyev’s motorcade was arriving at the hotel, adding that “[t]he Presidential Security Service had no choice but to immediately intervene.”
According to the protesters, that’s not what happened. One of them, Rahim Yagublu, 27, said that the guards kicked him in his stomach and hit his jaw. His father is political activist Tofig Yagublu, in prison in Azerbaijan on forgery and fraud charges. Another protester, Adil Amrakhly, 35, said that while running away from the guards, he hurt his leg.
“We intended to hold a peaceful protest to demand freedom for political prisoners in Azerbaijan,” Amrakhly told The Washington Post, adding that at least four other protesters were injured.
“They started beating us,” Yagblu said. He added that nearby police didn’t do anything, and that protesters called an ambulance. After looking at everyone’s injuries, first responders didn’t take anyone to the hospital.
“This just shows us he’s a dictator, and there is no free speech in my country,” Yagublu said regarding Aliyev.
Video was posted to X Thursday night showing some of the fighting.
İlham Əliyevin mühafizəçiləri Vaşinqtonda ondan siyasi məhbuslara azadlıq tələb edən azərbaycanlı mühacir fəallara vəhşicəsinə hücum edib, onları yumruq və təpiklə vurublar. Əliyevin cangüdənlərinin hücumuna məruz qalanlardan biri də siyasi məhbus Tofiq Yaqublunun oğludur. pic.twitter.com/Xq4L3v1ACw
— Azadlıq Qəzeti (@azadliq_news) February 19, 2026Azerbaycanlı Korumalar Muhaliflere Saldırdı Benzeri Kürtlere OlmuştuWashington’da “Barış Kurulu / Board of Peace”de olan Azerbaycan Devlet Başkanı Aliyev’in korumaları, “Siyasi mahkumlara özgürlük” sloganıyla eylem yapan Azerbaycanlı muhaliflere saldırdı. Hatırlatma: ABD’de… pic.twitter.com/1awbV53sHS
— metinyoksu (@metinyoksu) February 19, 2026The incident was reminiscent of a similar event in Trump’s first term in May 2017, when Turkish security personnel attacked protesters outside of the Turkish ambassador’s residence while Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was in Washington to meet with Trump. At the time, Congress unanimously called for criminal charges against the 24 people filmed attacking protesters. One month later, two people were arrested and arrest warrants were issued for the other security officers, but charges would be dropped the following March.
Will Thursday’s incident be handled similarly? Aliyev and Azerbaijan are in Trump’s good graces for joining the Board of Peace, so the president and his Republican allies in Congress may not push for justice this time. That would be a shame, considering peaceful protest is a constitutional right and a major freedom for people in the U.S.
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