AZERI RIOT POLICE DETAIN DOZENS OF ANTI-GOVT. DEMONSTRATORS
Police officers detain opposition activists as they try to hold a
rally to demand the resignation of President Elham Aliyev at the
Fountains Square in central Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on
December 10, 2012.
press tv
Mon Dec 10, 2012 4:57PM
With this protest, we have managed to draw the international
community’s attention to the alarming situation regarding human
rights, media freedom, and political atmosphere in Azerbaijan.”
Leader of the Musavat Party, Isa Gambar .
Riot police in Azerbaijan have detained dozens of opposition activists
trying to stage a peaceful demonstration against the government of
President Elham Aliyev in the capital Baku.
The arrests came after hundreds of people gathered near the Fountains
Square in central Baku on Monday where they demanded the resignation
of President Aliyev and the dissolution of parliament.
The opposition parties including Azerbaijan Popular Front Party and
Musavat (equality) Party say the sitting lawmakers are corrupt and do
not represent the will of the people.
Marking International Human Rights Day, the protesters chanted,
“Freedom” and “Resignation”.
“With this protest, we have managed to draw the international
community’s attention to the alarming situation regarding human
rights, media freedom, and political atmosphere in Azerbaijan,” said
leader of the Musavat Party, Isa Gambar during the protest.
Carrying Azerbaijan’s national and opposition party flags, protesters
also demanded release of people arrested during the previous rally.
On November 17, a similar protest occurred in the same city where
security forces arrested dozens of anti-government demonstrators
including journalists who covered the protest rally.
The Azeri protesters are furious about the gap between the rich and
the poor, rampant corruption and an economy highly dependent on oil in
the country of nine million.