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  • Baku: Not A Place For Protests?

    BAKU: NOT A PLACE FOR PROTESTS?

    http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66457
    January 28, 2013 - 11:29am, by Giorgi Lomsadze

    "Arrested. In a bus with great people," tweeted dissident Azerbaijani
    blogger Emin Milli, after riot police chased, beat and hustled
    protesters away from downtown Baku on January 26.

    The Baku authorities have spared no effort to pound, quite literally,
    into residents' heads that the center of the Azerbaijani capital is
    not the place to protest; rather, it is a stage for the government's
    various promotional campaigns, be it mega-pop concerts or international
    thought-exchanges. . . past, present or future. Leave the protests,
    please, to the outskirts.

    But some have difficulty keeping the distinction straight. On January
    26, just as President Ilham Aliyev, according to the Azerbaijani state
    news agency AzerTaj, was allegedly negotiating about bringing Davos
    to Baku (World Economic Forum spokespeople were not available for
    confirmation -- ed), a Facebook-organized rally in the city to show
    support for rioting residents of the northwestern town of Ismayili
    risked stealing the show.

    With such high aims as Davos (and the European Olympics) in mind,
    the Azerbaijani government has very little patience these days for
    protesters. Police troops crushed the Ismayili uprising, which had
    been touched off by the reportedly thuggish behavior of the regional
    governor's son; in Baku, police chased and herded supporters of the
    Ismayili rioters away from the downtown area, and showered media
    with similar attention. Among the arrestees were the usual suspects:
    Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter Khadija Ismayilova (who also
    has written for EurasiaNet.org) and activist Emin Milli.

    Unaccustomed to such manifestations of public anger, Azerbaijani
    officials are still wiping the sweat off their brows. One presidential
    advisor declared that "hostile powers" are trying to sow discord and
    chaos in Azerbaijan, but have been defeated. "Let nobody forget that
    the state created with the honorable efforts of the national leader
    Heydar Aliyev [President Ilham Aliyev's father --ed] is a strong
    state that can push back any destructive force," declared security
    and law enforcement advisor Fuad Alekserov, APA news agency reported.

    In other words, the floor is clear in central Baku for mega-pop
    concerts, business pow-wows and international sports events. As for
    protests against the government and calls for justice, that's what
    the suburbs are for.

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