Azerbaijani police illegally dispersed the Sing for Democracy human rights campaign’s September 1 protest in front of the Russian Embassy in Baku in support of the convicted members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot. The protesters were not allowed to read out their resolution or submit it to the embassy.
Protest organizers, IRFS director Emin Huseynov and Human Rights Club chairman Rasul Jafarov, were detained and taken to Nasimi Police Office No.20. A police report was made, in which the detainees were charged with organizing an illegal procession.
The detained human rights defenders noted in the report that the protest had been illegally dispersed and objected to the contents of the report. The two rally organizers were released after being held for almost an hour. Later, Huseynov and Jafarov received phone calls from the Nasimi district police office inviting them for an “unofficial conversation,” but refused to go to the police office.
Members of the “Sing for Democracy” campaign stated that they did notify city authorities on August 24 of their plans for a protest and, not receiving any response took this as approval of their notification. The campaign members plan to file suit in court against the harsh police intervention. A relevant appeal will also be sent to Interior minister Ramil Usubov.
