Animal rights activists against “presidential” dog pound: police break up demonstrations in Baku

Police prevented a group of animal rights activists from protesting the Toplan Care Center for Stray Dogs. Several people were detained.

The Toplan Center was opened in February 2019. The project was carried out by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the executive branch of the capital at the initiative of Leyla Aliyev, vice president of the foundation and daughter of the president.

This was a peculiar response by the police to the continuing scandal surrounding the barbaric shooting of stray dogs in the city’s dog pound. But many local animal rights activists say that instead of saving street dogs, Toplan employees kill them. This is why dog defenders have long waged a cold war against Toplan, which periodically heats up, as demonstrated by the current protests.

Around 20 people participated in the protest. After arriving at the Heydar Aliyev Foundation building in the center of Baku, they began to read out their appeal to the president, demanding that he take control of the situation at Toplan. The police began detaining protesters as soon as they started voicing their appeal. After that, they dispersed.

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