Epress.am News from Armenia
A group of Azeris living in Netherlands staged a protest in The Hague, The Netherlands, on Nov. 5 (ahead of Azerbaijan’s parliamentary elections on Nov. 7) to condemn the dictatorial rule of the incumbent Azerbaijani government, reports the Azeri Report.
The protesters gathered in front of the Azerbaijan embassy in the Hague and wore donkey suits mocking the controversial donkey purchase by their country’s government at an exorbitant price. Each “donkey” bore the name of one senior government official of Azerbaijan. Below is the press statement from the organizers of the action of protest in Netherlands:
“Through a unique demonstration the political refugees from Azerbaijan raise the shameful acts of the abuse of powers by President Ilham Aliyev and his Government. For the last 20 years under this strict regime journalists have been imprisoned, thousands of people have been murdered and millions of people (primarily the Azeri people) left the country in concern for their safety. The peaceful demonstration will take place on the 5th of November at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in The Hague. During the demonstration a petition will be handed to the Ambassador of Azerbaijan wherein the release of the two bloggers’ Adnan Hajizadeh, Emin Milli and several journalists will be asked.”
Last year, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited German Chancellor Merkel in Germany. During that visit he purchased a donkey estimated at 40,000 euros (as a souvenir), writes the Azeri Report. Satirically two students dressed in donkey costumes re-enacted this purchase which was in their eyes a waste of money by the President and put it on YouTube. Shortly after they were beaten up and subsequently sentenced to prison for 2.5 and 3.5 years. A call from President Obama to Ilham Aliyev to set the two bloggers free has not yet been answered.
The donkey is now a symbol for the oppression in Azerbaijan, writes the Azeri Report. On Nov. 5, 2010, twenty donkeys will satirically admit their guilt to the transgressions of the past 20 years. The twenty donkeys represent President Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva (Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO), Chief of the Presidential Administration, chair of the Supreme Court, chair of Central Election Commission, Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan and 14 ministers.
Photos from a personal Facebook page.