Protest Rally Held in Ganja

Baku / 22.04.19 / Turan: In Ganja, family members of those arrested in connection with the July 2018 events held a protest in front of the city executive power building. The parents consider the arrest of their children illegal and fraudulent, and demand their release.

They claimed that their children were subjected to cruel torture and insults: "We will not be silent, and our voice will be heard everywhere." The police officers demanded that the participants leave the territory, and they were told: "There is a prosecutor"s office and a court of appeal, go and complain there".

Then the police began to push the assembled people away. The participants of the action tried to continue it in front of the police building of the Nizami district of the city. Police officers who came to them stated that "the action is illegal and violates public order". The police began to push the people aside and confiscated the portraits of their arrested children. There were no detainees during the action.

* In July 2018, an attempt was made on the head of the city, Elmar Veliyev, in Ganja. The reason was his boorish behavior and regular insult of the residents. The man who attempted assassination was a resident of the city, Yunis Safarov. He tried to shoot Veliyev, but only wounded him and was detained.

* After 10 days, unrest took place in the city, demanding the release of Safarov and an assessment of the Mayor"s behavior. During the clashes of protesters with the police, two police officers were killed.

* After that, mass arrests and prosecutions of the protesters began. Authorities blamed radical Islamists for organizing the unrest. -0-