2019 Baku protests
2019 Baku protests | |||
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Protests, civil resistance | |||
Parties | |||
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Number | |||
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Casualties | |||
Detained | on 19 October: 60 (police claim)[1] more than 80 (Reuters)[2] |
The 2019 Baku protests were a series of
Background
Although the
Protests
On 8 October NCDF organized a protest in support of the freedom of assembly. The participants gathered in front of the
Before the 19 October protest police cordoned off several streets in central Baku, the operation of three metro stations (28 May, Jafar Jabbarly and Shah Ismail Khatai[4]) was suspended and the internet access was restricted.[2] The Baku Police Department declared the 19 October protest "unlawful".[4] Hundreds of members of the Rapid Police Unit were deployed.[4] On that day Ali Karimli was arrested and detained by police shortly after he began joining the protest in central Baku. He was released late in the evening.[5] According to police, sixty protesters were detained, of them forty-two were released with a "warning".[5]
On 20 October protesting women gathered near a statue of Khurshidbanu Natavan on Baku's Nizami Street and were met with police, who demanded they leave the site. Apart from posters, the protesters also wrote the same slogans on their clothes, fearing that the posters would be torn apart by police.[6] Several protesters wore slogans commemorating Elina Hajiyeva, a teenager who had committed suicide in Baku earlier that year because of school bullying.[6]
Reactions
In a statement on 19 October, the European Union called "on the authorities to release peaceful protesters remaining in detention", noting that "freedom of assembly is a fundamental human right and we expect Azerbaijan to ensure that it can be fully exercised, in line with the country’s international obligations".[7] Member of the European Parliament Kati Piri stated that "the violence was accompanied by a state-run smear campaign against the opposition and civil society activists, including an unprecedented attack on the EU diplomats fulfilling their professional tasks".[8] Another Member of the European Parliament Tonino Picula urged Federica Mogherini and the European Commission "to suspend further negotiations on the new agreement between the EU and Azerbaijan until the Azerbaijani government commits itself fully to the respect of fundamental rights".[8]
The US embassy in Baku called on "the government to credibly investigate reports of
Former Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Benelux Arif Mammadov staunchly criticized Azerbaijani authorities for violent crackdown of the 19 October protest.[10]
Human Rights Watch criticized the Azerbaijani authorities for refusing to allow the peaceful assembly of opposition.[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Azerbaijan: Peaceful Rallies Dispersed Violently". Human Rights Watch. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b "UPDATE 1-Azeri police release opposition party leader after detention". Reuters. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ RFERL. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b c Murad Hemidov (19 October 2019). "Mitinq zamanı polis vətəndaşlara şiddət edib" (in Azerbaijani). Sosxəbər. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ RFERL. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b "Anti–domestic violence march goes ahead in Baku despite attempts by police to disperse it". OC Media. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Statement by the Spokesperson on the latest developments in Azerbaijan". European External Action Service. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b "S&Ds: EU should suspend negotiations with Azerbaijan following the latest crackdown against peaceful protest". Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ a b "U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan released statement on October 19 protest". Azeri Press Agency. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
- ^ "Экс-посол Азербайджана Ариф Мамедов: Ильхам Алиев – фашист" (in Russian). Infoteka24. 20 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.