21:04, 22 August 2007

Police disperses journalists in Azerbaijan

Today, a group of dissidents from Iran has made an attempt to hold a picket in front of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Baku in connection with the visit to Azerbaijan of Iranian President Mahmud Akhmadinezhad.

The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports from the place of the event that the participants of the action expressed their protest against violations of national and cultural rights of Azerbaijanis in Iran. However, enforced police detachments prevented the picketers from rallying. Well before the start of the picket, 9 persons were detained. The police used force in relation to journalists - they violently took away photo cameras from correspondents of Radio Liberty and gave them back only after reviewing and destroying the already made photos.

Operators of TV Channels were exposed to insults and forbidden to film the action. Besides, the policemen have detained the activists of political parties, who gave interviews to the press on the occasion of the protest action.

Author: Zaur Rasulzade, CK correspondent