Activists count 55 detainees in Baku (+video)

Law enforcers took dozens of opposition activists and their supporters detained in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, far out of the city and released there, activists report.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 16, mass detentions of protesters against election falsifications began in Baku. Policemen used force during detentions.

According to activists, seven persons were detained before the protest action, including Ruslan Izzetli, the leader of the D18 movement; Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the "Republican Alternative" (ReAl) Party, and the blogger, Mekhman Guseinov, and Ulvi Gasanli, both – candidates for MPs from the "Movement" bloc.

According to preliminary data, 55 persons were detained before and during the action, including candidates for MPs from the "Musavat" Party and the "Movement" bloc, Mustafa Gadjibeili, the head of the "Musavat" press service, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, the whereabouts of Arif Gadjily, the leader of the "Musavat" Party, and the lawyer, Nemat Kerimli, detained before the protest action, remains unknown. Those, who were detained during the action, were taken out of the city in buses in order to set them free there, Mr Gadjibeili has suggested.

In a Baku suburb, law enforcers released Ilgar Mamedov, the leader of the "ReAl" Party, who himself told the fact to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to his story, he was detained at about midday Moscow time, when he left home. He was driven in a car for four hours, and eventually released on the Baku-Shamakhi highway.

Despite the police's actions, the protest rally "was a success," because citizens came out to the streets and expressed their protest against election frauds, Ilgar Mamedov has concluded.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 16, 2020 at 05:15 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.