Utility workers dismantle Alievs' portraits in Baku

On the eve of the European Games to be held in Baku, municipal workers are dismantling, removing, painting over and covering all the stands, billboards and posters bearing portraits of Geidar and Ilham Aliev, as well as banners with their quotations, the townspeople report.

According to Baku residents, boards and inscriptions have been removed from overpasses near the Ukrainian Circle, residential area "Khutor", at the metro stations "Peoples' Friendship", "Gyandjlik" and "Gara Garaev", in Nobel Avenue, and next to the monument to Aina Sultanova. Banners have also disappeared from near the Statistical Department, from over entrances to underground pedestrian crossings, and from many other places in the capital of Azerbaijan.

Local authorities prefer not to comment the dismantling process of portraits and citations.

In the opinion of the blogger and journalist Chingiz Sultansoy, the dismantling process really has to do with the upcoming European Games.

"Apparently, the authorities begin to understand that such an abundance of portraits and quotes of the president are at odds with the image of a democratic and prosperous Azerbaijan, which they are trying to present to the global mass media, and look more like an attribute of authoritarian countries," Chingiz Sultansoy told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.