Opposition rally in Baku
A rally by the Azerbaijani opposition took place on 8 April on the outskirts of Baku. The National Council of Democratic Forces (NС) initially planned to have the rally on 9 April, but authorities opted instead for the day before. The meeting was held under the slogans “No to robbery! Freedom to political prisoners! No to monarchy! “.
The Baku City Police Headquarters reported that 1500 people attended the rally. According to observations by JAMnews correspondents, the number of protesters were about twice as much as officially announced – about three thousand.
The NС Speaker, former candidate for the post of the President of Azerbaijan Jamil Hasanli, said in his speech: “Now it is the time for rallies. The problem of political prisoners is growing. Despite the release of six political prisoners, another eight have been arrested and at the moment the number of political prisoners has risen to 162. It is necessary to say a decisive “no” to all this.”
The chairman of the Popular Front Party Ali Kerimli said: “We believe that injustice prevails in Azerbaijan, the powers are not elected by the people, the rights and freedoms of citizens are selective, and therefore serious changes are needed.”
The meeting lasted about two hours. There were no incidents.
