'No to criminal state" - dozens detained at protest for journalists’ and activists’ rights in Azerbaijan

Protest against ‘criminal state’ in Baku

In the center of Baku – at the Fountain Square, a protest was held under the slogan “We do not want a criminal state”. The rally was organized by over 20 public and political activists after several incidents of gross violation of the rights of well-known opposition politicians and a journalist. About 30 activists were detained prior to the event.

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After a knife attack on journalist Ayten Mammadova, 23 public and political activists decided to hold a protest in Baku. The protest was sparked by several incidents of gross violation of the rights of well-known opposition politicians.

Detentions prior to the rally

A few hours before the start of the action, police officers in different parts of the city detained several organizers of the rally. Three of them were taken several hundred kilometers away from Baku.

Politician Ruslan Izzetli reported on social media that he was released in a deserted place about 120 kilometers away from the capital. Two more organizers of the action were released in the southern part of the country.

Another 26 activists were detained in close proximity to the place of the rally, they were taken to the police station and released after the protest was over.

What happened during the rally?

The police surrounded the protesters and did not allow them to move along the designated route from Fountain Square to the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is located 200-300 meters away.

After about half an hour of negotiations between the undetained organizers of the action and the police, the protesters were allowed to move in the direction of the Ministry of Internal Affairs building, but they were stopped about 100 meters from the Ministry building.

All this time, the protesters were stuck in the ring created by the police. In this “siege”, the protesters read out a statement by the organizers of the action, in which they demanded a fair trial and punishment of the gross violations of the rights of oppositionists and independent journalists.