Villagers in south Azerbaijan protest at police abuse, bribery
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
29 Mar 05
[Presenter] Residents of three villages of Astara [District in
southern Azerbaijan] have protested in front of [the building of] the
executive authorities of the district at the work of the
law-enforcement bodies. They called for an end to pressure from local
law enforcers bodies on residents.
[Correspondent, over video of protesters holding portraits of late
Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev and Azerbaijani flags] About 400
residents of Astara held the protest action outside the building of
the executive authorities. The protesters called for the resignation
of local law enforcers whom they accused of unfair treatment and
procrastination.
[Elder resident, no caption, complaining in loud voice] This is my
son. He was disabled in Karabakh [war]. The court has set him against
my other son.
[Correspondent] Residents of the villages of Kakaluz, Qamisovka [and]
Balaca Sahqaci said that some law enforcers had illegally intervened
in the activities of villagers and entrepreneurs, harassed them and
even raided their homes and searched their homes without any reason.
The chairman of the municipal council of the village of Balaca
Sahqaci, B ahram Aliyev, said that the police searched his home
without any sanction or reason on the holiday of Novruz.
[Bahram Aliyev, chairman of Balaca Sahqaci municipality, captioned,
shown speaking] Neither the head of the executive authorities nor
anyone else can cope with this kind of mafia. They have solid
backing. Whenever you encounter them one would claim having a minister
as his godfather, the other would say that someone else backs him.
[Woman captioned as villager shown speaking] The police must protect
us. They must not subject us to attacks. This is to start with. We
cannot now speak to each other because of the police.
[Passage omitted: recalls the past]
Our complaint is about them taking 1,000 dollars from someone who has
been beaten and 500 dollars from someone else who has not been. They
should take measures in this regard.
[Another protester, no caption, shown speaking] If the police are so
self-confident, let them attack the Armenians and free our nation. Why
don’t they do that?
[Correspondent] The executive authorities of the district pledged to
look into the complaints and to act on them if they happen to be true.
Mahsati Sarif, Ilkin Rzayev for “Son Xabar”