Musavat Party condemns police brutality against peaceful demonstrators in Söyudlu village

Baku/23.06.23/Turan:  The Musavat Party strongly denounces the violent conduct exhibited by the police during a peaceful demonstration held by local residents against environmental pollution in Söyudlu village, located in the Gadabay region on June 20. This incident serves as yet another grave crime, underscoring the deepening authoritarianism in Azerbaijan.

The Musavat Party expressed profound outrage over the brutal attack by the police on elderly women, including a mother who had lost her child in service, resulting in injuries sustained by these individuals. While acknowledging that the protesters had legitimate grievances, the party stressed that the act of hurling stones at the police could potentially be a provocation.

Additionally, the Musavat Party deems the subsequent administrative arrests of seven individuals and the imposition of fines on one person, as well as the detention of Elmir Abbasov, an activist from the NIDA civil movement, following his critical writings on the matter, as unjustified actions.

The party demands that the authorities promptly identify and punish the police officers responsible for the violence against the protesters, as well as those who issued such orders. Furthermore, they call for comprehensive disclosure of these findings to the public, immediate release of the detainees, reopening of the road to Söyudlu village, abandonment of policies aimed at silencing the people, and the safeguarding of fundamental rights.--0--