19:00, 16 April 2011

Amnesty International calls on Azerbaijani authorities to stop suppressing peaceful demonstrations

Police cordon in the way of demonstrators during protest rallies in Baku, April 2, 2011. Photo by the "Caucasian Knot"

On the eve of the rally in Baku, appointed by the Azerbaijani opposition for April 17 with a demand of democratic reforms, the international human rights organization Amnesty International has urged the Azerbaijani authorities not to admit any police's attack on peaceful demonstrators.

The Azerbaijani authorities have already declared that they would not admit any protest actions on April 17.

"The Azerbaijani authorities should allow this protest action. Peaceful demonstrations are the essence of freedom of speech and assembly. These rights are violated in Azerbaijan," said John Dalusen, deputy director of the Amnesty International for Europe and Central Asia.

"The international community should exert more pressure on the government to put an end to repressions," he stressed.

The release also quotes the utterances of Zakir Garalov, General Public Prosecutor of Azerbaijan, who said that "radical opposition wants to bring unrests from other countries to Azerbaijan" and that "the government will never allow this, and all the illegal activities will be stopped."

Author: Faik Medzhid

Source: CK correspondent