The Police used violent force against the participants of the mass protest organized by the People’s Front Party of Azerbaijan in the center of Baku on 11 November. The detainees in the buses continued chanting slogans, demanding the resignation of the authorities and freedom in the country.
According to “Кавказский узел” (kavkaz-uzel), the authorities of Baku refused to agree to the demands about freedom of assembly, release of political prisoners, free elections and democratic reforms announced by the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party (APFP) on 11 November.
The opponents claim that the refusal contradicts the Constitution, saying that they will hold a rally anyway. The police will not allow the opposition to hold a rally in Baku, as the authorities of the capital have recognized it as “unnecessary”, as stated by the head of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan, Zeini Huseynov.
On the eve of the protest action, the preventive arrests of oppositionists began.
An hour before the start of the action, reinforced police units blocked all the roads leading to the Baku City Hall building.
Groups of protesters appeared in the square in front of the “Icheri Sheher” metro station, chanting the slogans “Freedom”, “Resignation”, “Freedom, justice, national power”.
The police immediately started arresting the protesters and placing them in special buses with barred windows. The arrested continued chanting slogans in the buses. Several dozen activists were detained already in the first minutes of the action.
On 15 November, there will be a second similar action, it will be held by the “Musavat” Party, the demands are the same. “Кавказский узел” writes that there is no doubt that there will be the same response from the Police.
