Epress.am News from Armenia
Police continue to crack down on activists ahead of the March 11 day of action in Azerbaijan.
Inspired by popular uprisings that drove out authoritarian leaders in Tunisia and Egypt, reports Bloomberg, opposition youth groups in Azerbaijan have started a campaign on Facebook to hold nationwide protests on March 11, which they’re calling “Great People’s Day.”
As previously reported, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, one of the organizers, was arrested on Mar. 4 and ordered held in pretrial detention for a month for violating an order not to leave the city of Ganja while previous charges of evading military service were investigated.
Hajiyev, 29, a Harvard graduate and a former parliament candidate, denies those charges and has linked his arrest to his Facebook activity, about which he was questioned by police earlier on Mar. 4, reports RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani service.
On Mar. 8, two more activists were detained by police in Baku.
Sakhavan Soltanli, from the youth wing of the opposition Musavat party, was being held at a police station but was expected to be released after questioning, his brother Qadim told RFE/RL. He added that plainclothes police had been watching the family’s home for the past three days.
Also taken into custody yesterday was Rashadat Akhundov, a member of the NIDA Youth organization who earlier participated in opposition protests, and who, according to blogger and activist Emin Milli, is the person behind the slogan “Fuck Oil.” He is sentenced to five days in detention, which means he won’t be able to participate in the events on Mar. 11.
The US Embassy in Baku issued a statement on Mar. 7 expressing concern at the detention of Hajiyev, who has allegedly been mistreated while in detention and denied access to a lawyer.
The Azerbaijani Interior Ministry has warned ahead of a virtual Facebook protest planned for Mar. 11 that any unsanctioned protests in Baku or elsewhere will be “resolutely” dispersed, RFE/RL’s Azerbaijani service reported.
The Musavat party tried to apply to the Baku municipal council for permission to stage a protest on Mar. 12, but officials refused to accept the application on the grounds that the work day had ended.
Note, the Twitter hashtag is #11mart (though #11march is also being used).