Azeri picket against Armenian presence at upcoming NATO seminar foiled

ANS TV, Baku
12 Oct 04

[Presenter Leyla Hasanova] The United People’s Front of Azerbaijan
Party has protested against Armenian MPs’ presence at the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly’s Rose-Roth seminar [on 26-28 November]. The
party tried to stage a picket outside the Azerbaijani parliament.

[Correspondent, over video of police dispersing pickets] The United
People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party started protest actions against the
presence of Armenian MP at NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly Rose-Roth
seminar in November. The pickets first visited the Martyrs’ Avenue
[near the parliament]. Then they tried to picket the Azerbaijani
parliament. But the policemen, who gathered outside parliament
beforehand, blocked their way in the Martyrs’ Avenue. [Video showed
pickets chanting “Death to Armenians”]

The police confiscated placards and the party’s flag and took five
pickets to the Sabayil district police department [in Baku]. Our
attempt to find out about the fate of those detained in the police
department failed. There wasn’t anyone to let us in though.

[Passage omitted: mayor’s office banned the party’s all planned
pickets]