Police in Azerbaijan Beat Back Protesters Demanding Free Vote

Associated Press
Sunday, May 22, 2005

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21– Azeri protesters demanding free elections
were beaten back Saturday by police, who arrested dozens as they
broke up a banned rally in the oil-rich country four days before the
inauguration of a new pipeline.

Tensions between the government and the opposition in the tightly
controlled nation increased following an October 2003 election in which
Ilham Aliyev replaced his late father, Geidar Aliyev, as president in
a vote that the opposition said was marred by fraud. A parliamentary
vote is scheduled for November.

Officials had forbidden the opposition to protest, citing security
concerns ahead of a visit by foreign leaders for a ceremony marking
the opening of Azerbaijan’s portion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline, which has been backed by the United States.

The mostly Muslim country, a U.S. ally in Iraq, is the starting point
of the pipeline that Washington says will reduce dependence on oil
from the Middle East.

The violence broke out as groups of protesters tried to make their
way to a central square in the capital, Baku, shouting “Freedom!” and
“Free elections!”

Helmeted police with riot shields and truncheons chased protesters,
dispersing the rally after about two hours. Police detained dozens
of people, putting them into buses and vans.

A human rights activist, Saida Godzhamanly, said more than 100 people
were detained, including 10 women. Ali Kerimli, head of the People’s
Front of Azerbaijan party, said about 300 people were being held.

The police said 45 people were detained for disorder and refusing to
obey police.

A journalist from an independent newspaper who was bloodied in the
fracas — despite wearing clothing marked “press” — and a passerby
who was knocked unconscious by a truncheon blow were taken to the
People’s Front headquarters.

The clashes came against the backdrop of a wave of change in other
former Soviet republics, where protests against long-entrenched
governments over alleged election fraud have helped bring opposition
forces to power in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan over the past
18 months.