15:01, 8 May 2014

Baku: campaigners of "Art for Democracy" state disruption of presentation of their report

In Baku, activists of the human rights campaign "Art for Democracy" had to make a presentation of their report "Freedom of Artistic Expression in Azerbaijan: Creativity under Pressure" right in the street. Half an hour before the planned start of the event, the administration of the Central Park Hotel notified the organizers that it was impossible to rent a room there.

"We had signed a contract in due advance and paid the rental fee; but half an hour before the event the hotel administrator called us and said that 'for technical reasons' the event was cancelled," Rasul Djafarov, the coordinator of the campaign, told reporters and guests of the campaign who stood in the street right in front of the hotel.

Rasul Djafarov is sure that the event was disrupted for political reasons and treated it as "a violation of the freedom of assembly and expression." He reminded that the same event that had been scheduled for April 29 in the Grand Hotel was also disrupted.

Author: Faik Medzhid

Source: CK correspondent