Police in Azerbaijan dissolves "Musavat" party piquet again

Today, police in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, has stopped a third piquet of "Musavat" party during the last one and a half months in front of the Baku Executive Authorities headquarters. The action was held in connection with regular refusals of the city authorities to allow opposition meetings.

However, policemen and plain-clothes persons did not allow the opposition members to gather. They started detaining the participants, 1-2 persons at a time, already near the "Icheri Shekher " metro station near the city hall. The detainees were put into police cars and city buses withdrawn from the city regular routes.

Force was applied with regard to those who shouted slogans. Specifically, plain-clothed persons beat Akhad Mamedli, deputy head of the "Musavat" party youth organization who shouted the slogan "Long live "Musavat"! Down with Aliev's regime!", in the presence of journalists and representatives of western diplomatic missions.

Kiamil Vialishev, deputy chief of Sabail district police department who was managing the police actions at the place, refused to give any comments on the incident or cite the number of detainees.

However, Mustafa Gadzhily, "Musavat" activist, informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent over the telephone that 14 persons were detained and brought to the 9th police department of Sabail district. According to Gadzhily, the detainees were released 2 hours later after getting a warning on the inadmissibility of participation in actions unsanctioned by the city authorities.

Earlier, on June 17 and July 11, police dissolved "Musavat" piquets with similar demands voiced in front of the city hall.