In the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, police detained three leaders of opposition parties and more than a hundred activists who were about to take part in a protest rally against the results of the recent parliamentary elections, which were criticized by international observers. Many of the detainees were later released. About it writes Radio Liberty, reports UNN.
In particular, the police detained Ilgar Mammadov, the Musavat party Arif Hajili and the “D 18” movement Ruslan Izzatli at home, at the house or in the party office of the leaders of the REAL party. All three then released, taking them outside of Baku. Izzatli said that because of this he will sue.
The building of the Central Election Commission, where the protest rally was supposed to take place, was guarded by special police detachments that detained everyone who came to the rally and put them in jails.
The Khajili said that some of the detainees were taken in police vans to remote places 200-300 kilometers from Baku, where they left.
According to the official results of the February 9 elections, the ruling New Azerbaijan party won 72 out of 125 seats, almost all other seats went to smaller parties and independent candidates loyal to the authoritarian President Ilham Aliyev.
Aliyev, 58, who has ruled Azerbaijan for almost 17 years, taking power from his father, also autocrat Heydar Aliyev, has called the current early parliamentary elections last December amid widespread discontent in the country due to the poor state of the economy.
The elections in Azerbaijan from the time of the restoration of independence of the country in 1991 were repeatedly recognized by international observers as such that did not meet democratic standards