Azerbaijan Clash With Police
Many are injured when opposition parties try to stage a sit-in to protest
election results.
November 27, 2005, Los Angeles Times, by Kim Murphy, Times Staff Writer
MOSCOW — Thousands of protesters in Azerbaijan shouting "Freedom!" and vowing to
occupy downtown Baku on Saturday were beaten back by riot police wielding
truncheons and water cannons. Witnesses said hundreds of protesters were
injured, along with at least 26 police officers.
The demonstration in the capital, in which opposition leaders demanding new
parliamentary elections tried to stage a sit-in at Victory Square, ended
abruptly when officers in helmets and carrying riot shields broke apart the
speaker's stand, ripped orange flags out of protesters' hands and began beating
demonstrators and opposition leaders with batons, leaving several people lying
injured on the ground.
Once demonstrators fled into side streets, police sealed off the square and
opened fire with water cannons to drive crowds farther from the scene, witnesses
said. "We thought there was a possibility that
something like this would happen, but we could not even imagine it would be so
savage. To say that the use of force was excessive would be an understatement,"
Murad Gassanly, an advisor to the opposition
Popular Front Party, said in a telephone interview.
Baku police officials said they cleared the square only after it became obvious
that opposition leaders planned to occupy it indefinitely in violation of the
law. "Rally organizers were warned in advance not
to turn the rally into a mass disobedience action," the Baku police said in a
statement, which was reported by the Russian news agency Interfax.
"Despite this, in the course of the action, its organizers began to call on the
demonstrators to disobey the authorities, and began to take specific measures to
achieve their goal. Chanting, 'We will not leave the square,' [opposition
leaders] called on those present to hold an action of indefinite duration on the
square," the statement said. Last year in
Ukraine's capital, demonstrators waving orange flags occupied the streets to
protest fraudulent elections and eventually forced a repeat of the vote,
bringing the opposition to power.
Saturday's rally in Baku, which opposition leaders said drew 10,000
demonstrators, was the latest in a series of protests since the Nov. 6
parliamentary elections, which gave a majority of seats in the 125-member
legislature to the ruling New Azerbaijan party, leaving opposition parties with
10 seats. Facing widespread criticism from
international observers and the U.S. State Department over the legitimacy of the
voting, Azerbaijan authorities Wednesday released official results that showed
the ruling party had won a total of 58 seats, not the 63-seat majority it had
initially claimed. With the opposition still limited to 10 seats, the remainder
went to independent candidates, many of whom are likely to be pro-government,
and to little-known small parties.
On Saturday, the central election commission disbanded 108 precinct election
commissions, saying that various voting laws had been violated.
The State Department credited the government for conducting a more open
campaign and better monitoring than during previous elections, but said there
were credible reports of "major irregularities and fraud that may have
disenfranchised voters."
The U.S. Embassy was critical of the "police violence" during Saturday's rally
and called for the government to "punish those responsible."
"We deplore the unjustified and unprovoked use of force against citizens
peacefully exercising their right to freedom of assembly," the embassy said in a
statement. Though opposition rallies have toppled
governments in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan as well as Ukraine in recent years, the
opposition in Azerbaijan has neither the overwhelming public support nor
defections from the ruling regime seen in those other former Soviet republics.
President Ilham Aliyev has been criticized for allowing his cronies to maintain
an economic grip that has blocked reform and prevented the benefits of the
Caspian Sea oil boom from reaching deep into this nation of 7.9 million people,
which is wedged between Russia and Iran. But he remains reasonably popular, and
analysts have tended to downplay the chances of an Orange Revolution succeeding.
Still, opposition leaders ended the rally Saturday by asking those who
wanted to remain in the square to sit down. About 60% to 70% of the crowd
stayed, said Gassanly, the opposition advisor.
"The people have decided to stay," one of the Freedom bloc opposition leaders,
Ali Kerimli, announced from the platform.
"Suddenly, even before the official time [allowed for the demonstration] ran
out, the police began to charge into the square. They attacked the [speaker's
platform] and various sections of the crowd," Gassanly said. "I saw Ali Kerimli
himself at the square as he was being dragged out. He got hit a few times. It
was just an all-out attack."
Several plainclothes officers, including at least one who was wearing brass
knuckles, also used force against the demonstrators, Gassanly said.
Police said only about 4,500 protesters were at the rally, and that
"several" were injured, but gave no precise figures.
At a news conference after the crackdown, Kerimli said another rally was
scheduled for Dec. 3. "After today's events, the
Azerbaijani people will make a new decision, and the present-day government will
have to go," he said. "Up to now, we have been a minority. But this means that
hundreds of thousands of citizens will take to the streets."
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-azer27nov27,0,4622335.story?coll=la-home-world
Police clash with Azeri opposition
supporters
Police in Azerbaijan have broken up an opposition rally aimed at highlighting
complaints of vote-rigging in this month's parliamentary election. Violent
clashes erupted when police moved in to disperse the protestors after the
demonstration in Baku went beyond its allocated time. Opposition leader Ali
Kerimli denied police claims the rally had broken the law. He said a lot of
protesters had been injured.
Police used truncheons and water-canon to push back the opposition supporters.
Some of them responded by throwing stones and other objects. Opposition parties
have been holding frequent demonstrations since the election, which Western
observers say was marred by fraud. Until now, the protests had been peaceful.
The violent scenes may lead to added foreign pressure on President Ilham Aliyev
over democracy in the oil-producing state.
Euronews, 26.11.2005
Riot Police Break Up Azerbaijan
Protest
By AIDA SULTANOVA, Associated Press Writer,
Nov 26, 12:16 PM EST
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) -- Truncheon-wielding police in riot gear beat opposition
protesters who gathered in Azerbaijan's capital shouting "Freedom!" and
demanding a redo of disputed parliamentary elections.
Some 15,000 opposition activists rallied in Baku to protest the outcome of the
Nov. 6 parliamentary elections, which they claimed were rigged. The rally was
the latest in a series of opposition protests.
When the demonstrators tried to set up a permanent protest on a square in
downtown Baku, police rushed in to disperse them. Some protesters, including
women, were beaten while lying on the floor. Others threw stones at police, who
protected themselves with shields. Authorities rushed
in after demonstrators said they were going to hold a permanent protest in a
downtown square. Hundreds of soldiers, police and plainclothes police agents
pushed protesters away from the square, shattered a stand used by opposition
leaders and broke the opposition's orange banners - a color borrowed from
Ukraine's Orange Revolution.
Baku's deputy police chief, Yashar Aliev, said 18 officers were injured in the
clash and 29 rally participants were detained.
Opposition leaders said scores of protesters were beaten and many were badly
injured. Police also used water cannons to drive protesters away from a nearby
street.
"They used force against a peaceful rally without any prior notice," said Ali
Kerimli, head of the Popular Front, one of the parties in the Azadliq opposition
bloc that organized the protest. "Today Azerbaijani authorities showed their
real face." Opposition parties originally planned to
hold the rally Sunday but rescheduled it after failing to secure permission from
authorities in Baku. When the rally exceeded the two-hour time limit imposed by
the government, police intervened.
International observers have criticized the Nov. 6 polls, saying they fell below
democratic standards. But Western countries concerned about maintaining
stability in the oil-rich Caspian Sea state bordering Iran have not endorsed
opposition demands for repeat elections. Regular
opposition protests fostered expectations that Azerbaijan was heading to a
popular uprising like those that brought opposition leaders to power in fellow
former Soviet bloc nations of Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan.
But faced with an authoritarian government led by President Ilham Aliev, the
opposition has failed to capitalize on resentment over corruption that has
helped keep more than 40 percent of people in poverty despite the nation's oil
wealth. The opposition rallies have attracted less
than 20,000 people - far less than hoped for - because of harsh official
restrictions on demonstrations, widespread public apathy and the opposition's
weakness.
Kerimli said the opposition would stage another rally next Saturday.
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AZERBAIJAN?SITE=CAWOO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-11-26-09-33-39
Azeri police break up mass rally
Police in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, have used truncheons, tear gas and water
cannon to disperse a mass protest over the 6 November election results.
Injuries were reported as they cleared a square on the city's edge where
some 10,000 protesters were attempting to begin an open-ended sit-down protest.
It was the first use of police force against a rally since the election.
The opposition say the results giving President Ilham Aliyev's party
overwhelming victory were falsified. Alleged
irregularities and fraud have also alarmed the international community.
Saturday's demonstrators had defied a limit of two hours on their rally.
The Azeri opposition was previously careful to abide by government
restrictions on protests to avoid confrontation with the police, says the BBC's
Natalia Antelava in Baku.
'Many hurt'
Hundreds of policemen in full riot gear had lined the edges of Victory Square
for the latest of a serious of tightly controlled demonstrations. Ali Kerimli, a
leader of the Azadlyg opposition bloc, called on the protesters to remain in the
square and begin an open-ended protest - similar to that which began Ukraine's
"Orange Revolution" in Kiev last year. He called on
them not to resist the police but to sit down if they tried to move them on.
Police then moved in, beating protesters with truncheons and firing
teargas, witnesses say.
Water cannons were also used against the crowd - reportedly for the first time
since the election. Many of the protesters ran away,
some of them throwing stones at the police. A number were reportedly arrested
and loaded into police buses. Mr Kerimli later told
Reuters news agency that a "lot" of demonstrators had been hurt.
"We were having a peaceful protest which ended when police started to
beat up unarmed people," he said.
Upping the ante
Many activists say the time has come to put more pressure on the government and
stay in the square, our correspondent says. Their inspiration, they say, comes from Ukraine and Georgia, where fraudulent
elections sparked mass protests and forced change.
Leaders of the opposition United Freedom Bloc have insisted on a re-run of the
vote. But President Aliyev, son of the late Heydar
Aliyev, says that in his oil-rich state the chances of an Orange Revolution are
zero.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/4472368.stm
Published: 2005/11/26 17:23:12 GMT, © BBC MMV
US condemns Azeri rally policing
The US has censured the use of force to disperse crowds in Azerbaijan's
capital Baku on Saturday who were protesting about recent parliamentary
elections
A statement by the US embassy in Baku said it deplored the "unjustified and
unprovoked use of force". Many people were reported to have been injured by police using truncheons, tear
gas and water cannon.
The opposition say the results giving President Ilham Aliyev's party
overwhelming victory were falsified. Leaders of the opposition United Freedom Bloc have insisted on a re-run of the
vote. Saturday saw the first use of police force against a rally since the 6 November
election.
'Orange revolution'
Hundreds of policemen in full riot gear had lined the edges of Victory Square
for the latest of a serious of tightly controlled demonstrations.
"We deplore the unjustified and unprovoked use of force against citizens
peacefully exercising their right to freedom of assembly," said the statement
issued by the US embassy in Baku. Police chiefs said only one demonstrator sustained injuries, while 20 officers
were seriously hurt.
They branded the demonstrators, who defied a two-hour limit on their rally, as
"provocateurs" and denied using water cannons or tear gas.
"They were calling for disobedience... we warned them," said Baku deputy police
chief Yashar Aliyev. He said 29 people were arrested, including a leader of the opposition Liberal
party.
Many activists, inspired by Ukraine's "Orange Revolution" of a year ago and
believing the time has come to put more pressure on the government, had called
for an open-ended protest. But President Aliyev, son of the late Heydar Aliyev, says that in his oil-rich
state the chances of an such a revolution are zero.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/4475012.stm
Published: 2005/11/27 08:48:38 GMT
Azerbaijan police break up opposition
protest
Sat 26 Nov 2005 8:20 AM ET
BAKU, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Police in Azerbaijan's capital on Saturday used
truncheons and water cannon to break up a protest by opposition supporters
complaining of vote fraud in an election earlier this month. A Reuters reporter
said riot police were using two water cannon and beating protesters, some of
whom responded by throwing stones.
Many of the 10,000 strong crowd ran away, while others were arrested and loaded
into police buses, the reporter said from the scene. Police moved in after the
protesters remained in a square on the outskirts of the capital after the
deadline given by the authorities for them to disperse.
Opposition parties have been holding frequent demonstrations since a Nov. 6
parliament election that Western observers said was marred by vote fraud. The
protests until now were peaceful.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
http://today.reuters.com/News/CrisesArticle.aspx?storyId=L26624496
Despite Fraud, No Revolt in Azerbaijan
Saturday November 26, 2005 9:46 am, by HENRY MEYER, Associated Press Writer
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) - Azerbaijan has some of the main ingredients of the
popular revolts that have swept through other former Soviet states in the last
two years - an election widely assessed as fraudulent and leaders accused of
growing rich through corruption.
But unlike the uprisings that brought opposition leaders to power in Georgia,
Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan - respectively known as the Rose, Orange and Tulip
revolutions - Azerbaijan's opposition has been unable to marshal a massive
outpouring of discontent more than two weeks after disputed parliamentary
elections. There have been several demonstrations at
which people even waved orange flags, borrowing the color of Ukraine's protests.
But no more than 20,000 people showed up at any one, with the turnout dropping
sharply at the latest rally.
Many in the opposition blame the West for the failure to achieve critical mass.
Although European observers sharply criticized the elections, the West has not
put enough pressure on President Ilham Aliev's government, opposition leaders
say. They attribute that to fear of upsetting the
status quo in a country with important oil exports. The Nov. 6 vote left the
ruling party firmly in control of the 125-seat legislature.
``What has happened here has dealt a blow to democratic forces,'' said
Eldar Namazov, leader of the opposition New Policy party.
The United States and the European Union did not officially support the
Georgian, Ukrainian and Kyrgyz revolutions, but Western-sponsored pro-democracy
activity played a role in rallying the opposition, and Washington and the EU
took a more critical stance toward the fraud-marred elections that drove people
onto the streets.
The opposition in Azerbaijan is hobbled in ways that their counterparts in
Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan were not. In those countries, authorities were
comparatively tolerant of protests. In Azerbaijan, the opposition has been
allowed to hold only three rallies, and police in the past have roughly
dispersed unauthorized assemblies.
But much of the explanation lies in the weaknesses of the opposition itself,
which is distrusted by many Azerbaijanis and has not attracted any defections
from the ranks of the governing elite as was the case in Ukraine and Georgia.
Many leading opposition figures were in power in the early years after
Azerbaijan gained independence in 1991 - a time of chaos and humiliating defeat
by neighboring Armenia in the conflict over the ethnic Armenian enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh. Memories of that troubled period undermine support for the
opposition.
Even some of those protesting the alleged election fraud don't think the
opposition is any better than the government. ``I'm not sure this will change
anything. For me, they are all the same,'' 20-year-old Tirol Mamadov said at a
rally last week. Western nations have not endorsed the
opposition's demands for a revote. In contrast, the EU backed calls for a repeat
presidential run-off in Ukraine even before the country's Supreme Court declared
the election fraudulent and ordered a fresh vote.
Diplomats are unsparing in their condemnation of corruption in Azerbaijan, but
observers say Western powers have strategic concerns that make them desire
stability. Azerbaijan has vast oil and gas reserves
being tapped by Western companies and lies at the starting point of a new
pipeline carrying Caspian oil to port in Turkey. The small secular Muslim nation
neighbors Iran, which is suspected of trying to export radical Islamic ideas and
could exploit unrest.
Demonstrators at opposition rallies carry posters saying: ``President Bush,
Don't Fail Us Now!'' and ``Stop Trading Our Democracy for Oil.''
``In Ukraine and Georgia they had support from the West, but not us,''
complained Khalig Bahadur, an opposition candidate who says he was robbed of his
parliament seat through fraud.
Whether the Azerbaijan scenario will apply to other ex-Soviet states with
upcoming elections is unclear. In Kazakhstan, where
President Nursultan Nazarbayev has wielded power since the Soviet era, the
opposition is stronger than in Azerbaijan and has united around a single
presidential candidate, former parliament speaker Zharmakhan Tuyakbai.
But there too criticism from the West may be muted by the energy-rich country's
importance as an oil exporter and concerns that Islamic fundamentalism in the
region could spread to Kazakhstan. In Belarus, whose
President Alexander Lukashenko is described by the United States as the ``last
dictator in Europe,'' there is strong pressure for change from Washington. But
the balance of forces is overwhelmingly in Lukashenko's favor, as many opponents
have disappeared or been jailed and independent media have been all but
eliminated.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5439292,00.html
Bones broken but pride not beaten after
Azerbaijan rally
11-26-2005, 16h26, BAKU (AFP)
photo
Azeri opposition supporters clash with riot police in Baku. Police used water
cannons and tear gas to disperse thousands of demonstrators protesting against
results of parliamentary elections won in a landslide by President Ilham
Aliyev's ruling party.
(AFP)
Thousands gathered Saturday for what was supposed to have been a peaceful
protest in Azerbaijan's capital, but when the rally turned to terrifying chaos,
the only sign of his wife one demonstrator could find were her shoes.
"I was sifting through a pile of shoes and I found hers. At that moment I
thought she was dead," said Ogtay Tahirov, a member of this former Soviet
republic's opposition and one of some 10,000 police dispersed from a square.
Supporters of Azerbaijan's opposition parties have gathered at Baku's
Victory Square every weekend since the republic held a parliamentary election
Western observers considered to be marred by fraud.
Previous rallies dispersed peacefully and many opposition supporters came to
Saturday's event with their families and children expecting to hear leaders of
the opposition Azadliq (Freedom) alliance speak, before going home.
Demonstrators were demanding that the government of President Ilham
Aliyev, whose supporters won a crushing victory at the election, hold a new,
cleaner vote. But as the time limit for the rally
-- set by the oil-rich republic's authorities -- expired and protestors showed
that they intended to stay for a sit-in, hundreds of riot police were sent in to
break up the protest.
"It was terrible to see, people were trampled and I couldn't find my wife,"
Tahirov, the stoic 53-year-old, said, describing the moment when police locked
their shields together and pushed the crowd from two sides with their truncheons
over their heads. In the panic that ensued, a
number of people were crushed by a retreating crowd and many protestors lost
their shoes as they ran from police who were firing tear gas guns and spraying
demonstrators with water cannons. After the crowd
retreated and the tear gas fumes settled, a handful of people lay sprawled out
on the asphalt unconscious amid the debris of discarded orange flags, banners
and lost clothing.
Tahirov's wife Suraya, 52, was among them. As
armed security troops took control of the square, one of Tahirov's relatives
called to say that Suraya had been found and taken to a hospital.
"They said police let dogs loose on someone who had tried to help her,"
Tahirov said.
Standing next to Suraya's hospital cot with his son and daughter who attended
the rally with their own children, Tahirov said police beat his wife so severely
they broke one of her ribs. Tahirov's is just one
of many stories that emerged after dozens of people were sent to hospitals
around Baku in the aftermath of the rally. The
seven-year-old daughter of the editor of a local news agency was hospitalized
with both her legs broken, colleagues said. And
in the hospital room next door to Suraya's, 26-year-old Yashar Rahimov, his
breathing labored, told AFP how he was beaten as he tried to shield a
13-year-old girl.
"I was on the square to fight, not for myself, but for my children," said
Rahimov, a Baku resident who sends most of the money he earns here to his
family, who live in a threadbare town in central Azerbaijan.
In the headquarters of the opposition Popular Front party after the
rally, doctors treated a dozen activists wearing blood-smeared clothes with cuts
and bruises.
Fearful of the kind of post-election revolts that toppled entrenched regimes in
Ukraine last year and in Azerbaijan's neighbor Georgia in 2003, officials have
warned they will not tolerate demonstrations that last more than a few hours.
President Aliyev's late father Heydar ruled the republic for the better
part of three decades before Ilham replaced him in a controversial presidential
election in 2003. Heydar Aliev died soon afterwards at age 80.
Police officials justified their use of force by branding the opposition
"provocateurs" who had tried to stay on the square in violation of public order.
"They were calling for disobedience... we warned them," Baku deputy
police chief Yashar Aliyev said, adding that 29 people had been arrested.
But the United States, accused by the opposition of toning down criticism
of Azerbaijan because of its oil interests here, was quick to condemn the police
action as an "unjustified and unprovoked use of force."
Opposition leaders have already called for a new rally and the Tahirov family at
least, said they would be among those attending.
"I feel like its my fault my family members are getting hurt," Tahirov said,
"but I will go and fight for my rights." "I'll go
too. We want justice," his daughter Afet said, holding her injured mother's
hand.
AFP
В Баку власти силой разогнали митинг
оппозиции
Митинг оппозиции с требованием отмены результатов выборов в Баку разогнали силой
- при помощи дубинок и водометов. Применить силу власти решили после того, как
организаторы митинга сошли со сцены и стали садиться на асфальт, призывая
собравшихся поступить также и превратить митинг в сидячую забастовку.
В итоге, как передает "Эхо Москвы", многие разбежались, однако некоторых
участников митинга задержали, сообщается даже, что есть пострадавшие.
Оппозиционеры получили различные травмы, а на площади были видны следы крови. По
официальным данным, на митинг собрались 4 с половиной тыс человек, однако, как
утверждают очевидцы, участников акции протеста было в несколько раз больше.
Организаторами выступил блок оппозиционных политических партий "Азадлыг", его
поддержали активисты блока "Новая политика" и движения "Национальное единство".
В результате недавних выборов, сторонники президента Ильхама Алиева получили
подавляющее большинство в парламенте страны. Некоторые международные
наблюдатели, как и азербайджанская оппозиция, считают, что итоги парламентских
выборов были сфальсифицированы.
В частности, как ранее сообщало ИА REGNUM, Институт мира и демократии (ИМД) в
отчете указывал, что выборы в ряде округов "не были свободными, прозрачными и
демократическими". Многочисленные нарушения в день голосования дают основание
утверждать, что итогам выборов в указанных округах, объявленных ЦИК, доверять
нельзя, сказано в отчете. В фальсификациях, по данным ИМД, были задействованы
председатели и члены окружных и участковых избирательных комиссий.
http://www.regnum.ru/news/550701.html?forprint
Азербайджан: митинг оппозиции остановлен
силой
В Баку разогнан многотысячный митинг азербайджанской оппозиции, требующей отмены
результатов парламентских выборов и смены власти в стране. Это не первая акция
оппозиции, проходящая в столице после выборов, однако впервые полиция помимо
дубинок применила против демонстрантов водометы. Eсть раненые, десятки человек
арестованы.
По словам очевидцев, сотрудники сил правопорядка "ринулись в бой", когда в толпе
послышались призывы начать сидячую забастовку и не уходить с площади пока не
будут удовлетворены требования собравшихся. Полиция утверждает, что призывала
демонстрантов разойтись мирно после истечения срока, отведенного властями Баку
на проведение акции, но никто не послушался.
Оппозиция подчеркивает, что в ходе состоявшегося 6 ноября парламентского
голосования имели место массовые фальсификации для того, чтобы в парламент вошли
лояльные президенту Ильхаму Алиеву политики. Глава государства, согласившийся
провести пересчет голосов в некоторых регионах, отрицает все обвинения.
Тем не менее ряд аналитиков считает, что власти Азербайджана опасаются
повторения украинского сценария. Однако большинство наблюдателей склоняются к
тому, что лидеры азербайджанской оппозиции не имеют такой же силы и поддержки
как в свое время лидеры украинской оранжевой революции.
Euronews, 26.11.2005
В Баку разогнан митинг оппозиции
Прошлые митинги оппозиции прошли спокойно
Полиция в столице Азербайджана Баку разогнала демонстрацию сторонников оппозиции
при помощи дубинок и водометов. Митинг был
санкционирован властями. Собравшиеся протестовали против незаконных методов,
использовавшихся, по их мнению, при проведении парламентских выборов 6 ноября.
На митинг пришли тысячи людей. Представители полиции называют цифру 4,5 тысячи,
информационные агентства сообщают, что собравшихся было вдвое-втрое больше.
Это уже не первое выступление оппозиции после выборов.
Однако на этот раз полиция вмешалась после того, когда кто-то из выступавших
призвал демонстрантов оставаться на месте, пока азербайджанские власти не
аннулируют результаты выборов. Корреспондент Эльчин
Халилов из бакинского бюро Би-би-си передает, что полиция не стала дожидаться
резолюции митинга и вмешалась до его окончания.
По его словам, в ходе разгона митинга получили травмы многие люди, в том числе и
дети, а на улицах были видны лужи крови.
Дубинки и водомет
Полиция пустила в ход дубинки, сбивая людей с ног, чтобы вынудить их
разойтись. Кроме того, по другим сообщениям,
полиция применяла и водомет. Собравшиеся в ответ
пытались забросать полицию камнями, однако в итоге площадь была очищена, а
многие демонстранты - задержаны. Точных сведений о
пострадавших не поступало.
Международные наблюдатели, как и азербайджанская оппозиция, считают, что во
время парламентских выборов имели место подтасовки. По
итогам выборов сторонники президента Ильхама Алиева получили подавляющее
большинство в парламенте страны.
США осудили разгон митинга в Баку
Соединенные Штаты осудили применение властями Азербайджана силы для разгона
демонстрации сторонников оппозиции в Баку. Акция
блока оппозиционных партий проводилась в знак протеста против недавних
парламентских выборов, которые оппозиция считает сфальсифицированными.
В заявлении посольства США в Баку говорится о категорическом осуждении
"неоправданного и ничем не обоснованного применения силы". Посольство также
призвало правительство Азербайджана расследовать инцидент и наказать виновных в
произошедшем. Посол Великобритании в Азербайджане
выразил глубокое сожаление по поводу разгона демонстрации оппозиции и призвал
стороны к сдержанности.
Полиция использовала против демонстрантов, вышедших на санкционированную
властями демонстрацию, дубинки и водометы. В свою
очередь, руководство бакинской полиции отрицает применение водометов и
слезоточивого газа, называя участников демонстрации "провокаторами".
По данным полиции, арестованы 29 человек, включая лидера оппозиционной
партии.
На митинг пришли тысячи людей. Представители полиции называют цифру 4,5 тысячи,
информационные агентства сообщают, что собравшихся было более 10 тысяч.
Агентство Рейтер приводит слова Огтая Таирова, 53-летнего участника
демонстрации, у которого полицией была избита жена: "Я нашел ее туфли в куче
обуви. В этот момент мне показалось, что я больше никогда не увижу ее в живых."
Жена Таирова была доставлена в больницу со сломанными ребрами.
Корреспондент Эльчин Халилов из бакинского бюро Би-би-си передает, что полиция
не стала дожидаться резолюции митинга и вмешалась до его окончания.
По его словам, в ходе разгона митинга получили травмы многие люди, в том
числе и дети, а на улицах были видны лужи крови.
Слезоточивый газ
Раньше санкционированные митинги оппозиции проходили без инцидентов. Однако
власти предупреждали, что не позволят проведения перманентной акции протеста, по
примеру той, что предшествовала украинской "оранжевой революции".
Полиция вмешалась в ход митинга после того, когда лидер оппозиционного
блока "Азадлыг" (Свобода) Али Керимли призвал демонстрантов оставаться на месте,
пока азербайджанские власти не аннулируют результаты выборов.
На митинг было отведено два часа. Азербайджанская оппозиция, как сообщает из
Баку корреспондент Би-би-си Наталья Антелава, ранее внимательно придерживалась
ограничений, чтобы избежать конфронтации с властями.
Сообщается, что полиция пустила в ход дубинки, сбивая людей с ног, чтобы
вынудить их разойтись. Кроме того, полиция применяла и водомет - впервые в ходе
послевыборных демонстраций.
Собравшиеся в ответ пытались забросать полицию камнями, однако в итоге площадь
была очищена, а многие демонстранты - задержаны.
По словам руководства бакинской полиции, ранения получил лишь один из
митинговавших. При этом, по данным полиции, 20 полицейских были серьезно ранены.
В свою очередь, Али Керимли заявил в интервью Рейтер, что ранены "многие". "Мы
проводили мирный протест, который вынужнены были закончить, когда полиция начала
избивать безоружных людей", - представил он свое видение событий.
Международные наблюдатели, как и азербайджанская оппозиция, считают, что
во время парламентских выборов имели место массовые фальсификации.
По итогам выборов, сторонники президента Ильхама Алиева получили подавляющее
большинство в парламенте страны. Сам же президент
заявляет, что повторение сценария украинской оранжевой революции в Азербайджане
невозможно.
isagambar.az, 27.11.2005
