On the 28-th of January, the opposition Musavat Party held the demonstration on Ukraine square to protest the government’s decision to increase prices for energy resources and public utilities. About 2,000 people joined the demonstration and carried banners with slogans “No to the Hikes!”, “Don’t Make People Go Hungry!”, “Listen To the People and Decrease Prices!” (30-JAN-07)
Written by HRH Baku/Shahla Ismailova on the basis of information from Turan Information Agency, Today Az, Associated Press; photo from the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety
Background
On January 7, 2007, the government sharply raised the domestic prices for gas at the pump, electricity, water and natural gas for industrial use. Electricity charges went up threefold, water 1.8 times and gas prices at the pump by 50 percent. The raise caused the jump of prices in other sectors too.
Demonstration 
During the authorized two-hour protest, the people demanded the cancellation of the decree. Among the speakers, the leader of the Musavat opposition party, Isa Gambar (on the right), accused the government of diverting the energy-rich Caspian Sea nation’s oil and gas revenues. “If there wasn’t corruption, bribery and theft in this country, there wouldn’t be a need for these price increases,” he said. “The current social tension is a result of thoughtless and the untalented policy of the government, which has neither concept, nor program of social development of the country. The government remains a fully corrupt structure, which is isolated from people and their concerns”.
Other speakers said that by increasing prices for energy resources, authorities intend to collect money from the population to repay credits allotted by international organizations. Refugees from Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh cursed the authorities. “We do not support this government and the authorities should not speak on our behalf,” said one refugee from Karabakh.
The demonstrators called other political parties to unite efforts to participate in the next opposition demonstrations. There were no incidents and clashes with police during the demonstration.
