23:50, 18 June 2009

Mass suicide prevented in Azerbaijan

In Baku, near the shopping centre "Teze Basar" (New Marketplace), a suicide attempt of a group of 30 persons was prevented. They were brought to police station No. 21 of the Nasimin District and later released.

According to eyewitnesses, in the afternoon, a group of people tried to commit suicide, having climbed up to the seventh floor of some unfinished building near the above shopping centre.

The group comprised children and women - members of the family and relatives of currently imprisoned businessman Chingiz Mailov from the Geichai District of Azerbaijan. As reported by the IA "Trend", they demanded to release him and stop police pressure on him.

According to Vidadi Iskanderov, advocate of the arrested and then released would-be self-killers, the incident has already been reported to the Minister of Internal Affairs and country leaders. "The incident in Geichai will be investigated with maximum seriousness," the IAA PA quotes the advocate as saying.