The violence, conducted by the law-enforcement representatives toward peaceful demonstrators in Baku on the 26-th of November caused lots of negative reaction both in Azerbaijani society and in international community. The preparation of the Azerbaijani authorities to disperse the peaceful demonstration – dozens of trucks with soldiers of the internal troops, columns of police, 2 water dispersing cars, specially trained dogs, tear gas balloons – shocked the people (30-NOV-2005).
4 days passed, but still the Saturday’s violence is one of the most actual topics. The most popular world mass media outlets reflected the situation in Azerbaijan in their news. The police brutality was described in BBC, AFP, Reuters, Euronews, Los-Angeles Times, Guardian, Associated Press and so on.
Azerbaijani Human Rights Defender about Demonstration
Novella Jafaroglu, the member of the Human Rights Monitoring Group, who was in the Square on 26 November, said that the Saturday’s violence reminded her of 15-16 October events. “The police attacked people 10 minutes before the end of the officially sanctioned demonstration. I was there and I witnessed this. There was no warning before the attack. The police and solders acted against our national legislation, prohibiting such actions in the places with women and children. It was a new scenario, as there was no need to use water cannons and tear gas, because people had already been dispersed. I saw police, stepping and tearing off the flags of Azerbaijan. There are the cases, when policeman followed people beating them up to their flats (e.g. a nearby living man was followed up to his apartment, located on the fifth floor).” Novella Jafaroglu is deeply concerned about the political situation in Azerbaijan and condemns the government for making this violent act, saying “though Azerbaijan seems to be on the way to European integration, we are now closer to Islam Kerimov’s regime”.
Chief Police of Baku 
The deputy chief of Baku Main Police Department – Yashar Aliyev stated “Police acted within the framework of law”. He added that opposition leaders have been warned about inadmissibility of appeals to “anti-Constitutional actions.” He disagreed to the journalists that this was a peaceful demonstration. He added that opposition planned “provocation” and emphasized the high number of policemen injured on the demonstration. Though hundreds of people witnessed the usage of water dispersing cars, tear gas and dogs, he refuted this fact.
Human Rights Organizations Condemn Police Brutality
Human Rights organizations condemn police violence against demonstrators on November 26.
The Coordination Consultative Council “For Free and Fair Elections” called police actions “punishment of people protesting at falsifications.” The Council demands punishment of state officials that authorized this violence.
Federation of Azerbaijan Human Rights Organizations said police violence was “groundless” and urged all those injured to request Prosecutor’s Office to open a criminal case. Federation is also going to appeal to international organizations.
World Congress of Azerbaijanis has condemned violence on November 26 and expressed support to the demonstrators. People have the right to express protest and authorities must respect this right. Authorities are obliged to annul results of falsified elections and conduct new democratic elections. World Union of Azerbaijani Political Emigrants has also condemned violence and stressed that Ilham Aliyev is responsible for that. Authorities must resign after police atrocities, claims the Union.
World Mejlis of Azerbaijanis uniting natives of Azerbaijan in many world countries has condemned police violence against demonstrators on November 26. In its appeal to Azerbaijani President the World Mejlis has expressed solidarity with people demanding cancellation of falsified election results and conduct of new free elections. “We believe that all democratic organizations throughout the world will express their attitude towards these atrocities and provide support to democratic forces,” reads the statement.
Reaction of Opposition
The election bloc “Azadlig” and “National Unanimity” made a joint statement, condemning the Azerbaijani authority and the West for the occurred violence. “Responsibility for the “action of threatening” against peaceful demonstrators is not only on the Aliyev’s regime, but also on those forces of the West which “lobby” the interests of this regime. Therefore, the spilled blood is on the conscience of those foreign circles, including certain people in the West”, reads joint statement of the election blocs “Azadlig” and “National Unanimity”, which treat the actions of police and internal troops as punitive action.
Authors of the statement claim that goal of brutal suppression of demonstration “was not to prevent any unauthorized demonstrations.” The statement reads that authorities have planned punitive operation in advance to “take revenge on civilians for support of opposition at the elections.” The bloc interprets police attack against demonstrators as a purpose-oriented crime, because organizers of the demonstration have not taken a decision on staging a sit-down strike. “This is an action of violence and disgrace. Events on November 26 have revealed a real nature of Ilham Aliyev regime and this is already absolutely evident,” reads the statement.
The opposition stated not to stop fights against falsification of the results of parliamentary elections despite of such barbarianism and called the population to unite in this fight.
World Diplomats about Violence
The United States Embassy in Azerbaijan, which sent diplomats to monitor the rally, denounced the violence and released a statement calling on Azerbaijan to investigate the brutality. “The United States Embassy strongly condemns the police violence on 26-th of November,” the statement said. “We deplore the unjustified and unprovoked use of force against citizens peacefully expressing their right to freedom of assembly.”
The British ambassador, Laurie Bristow, who attended the rally, expressed disappointment. “I very much regret that the authorities felt it necessary to disperse the rally by force,” he said. The government of Azerbaijan, a small former Soviet oil state on the Caspian Sea, is trying to strengthen relations with the West while maintaining the corrupt and centralized rule of elite clans. It has cooperated with the United States in counterterrorism efforts and the war in Iraq, and is becoming fabulously rich with oil. But elections have proved difficult for Mr. Aliyev and his supporters, who make public nods toward democracy but have never held a free election. Mr. Aliyev’s father, Heydar, seized power in a coup in the early 1990’s, and he himself was elected in a fraud-tainted vote in 2003, months before his father died.
On the 28-th of November State Department spokesman Sean McCormack expressed the attitude of the US towards the police violence in Baku on Saturday 26 November. Asking if the United States engaged with the Azerbaijani authorities over their rather energetic breakup of an opposition rally, McCormack said that the Embassy put out a statement over the weekend in which “we condemned” the violent breakup of what was a peaceful protest. “And we would expect that the Government of Azerbaijan hold to account those responsible for the violence against peaceful protestors”.
PACE Calls to Abstain from Violence
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Rene van der Linden, expressed his concern at reports that a peaceful demonstration by opposition supporters in Baku, Azerbaijan had been violently dispersed by the police. “I condemn any unjustified use of force against a peaceful political rally,” said President van der Linden. “At this sensitive time of protests concerning the November elections, I call on the President and authorities of Azerbaijan to respect the rights of peaceful opposition demonstrators, in particular by abstaining from the use of force. At the same time, I call on the leaders of the opposition to ensure that they and their supporters behave responsibly during this delicate period.”
OSCE
Baku office of the OSCE expressed deep concern because of violence by police during the rally of the opposition on November 26 against demonstrators, and called all political sides to abstain from the new withstand. The police attacked people without warning 10 minutes after completion of the sanctioned action, press-release of the office reads. According to some information, over 400 demonstrators and several journalists were injured, and 30 people were detained.
“The authorities of Azerbaijan must know that international standards must be taken into account not only drawing up of legislation, but also while use of the law,” said the head of Baku Office of the OSCE Maurizio Pavesi. The principle of guard of public order does not approve the actions of police.
At the same time, Pavesi called the opposition parties to abstain from the steps aggravating tension and radicalizing the political life. He noted the importance of dialogue for normalization of political life. Pavesi expressed hope that the statements of the representatives of authorities and opposition on readiness to dialogue are to concretized. The OSCE Baku office hopes that the events of November 26 will not be used for further restriction of fundamental constitutional rights for the freedom of assembly.
Reporters Without Borders
The organization condemned the violence used by police against at least 12 journalists working for various news media when a demonstration organized by the opposition alliance Azadlig was dispersed by force on 26 November in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku. Most of the journalists were showing their press ID and some of them were wearing the navy-blue jacket which the Press Council gives to journalists to protect them from attack. Many of them were attacked as they were photographing the police dispersing protesters.
“The fact that the crowd did not disperse voluntarily at the end of the two hours allowed by the authorities for the demonstration should not have led to the use of such violence by the police, and it is unacceptable that journalists should be beaten during opposition demonstrations whether authorized or not,” the press freedom organization said. “We call on interior minister Ramil Usubov to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of Azerbaijani and foreign journalists,” Reporters Without Borders added.
Picket in Ukraine 
On the 29-th of November the representatives of Reforms and Order Party, other political organizations and Azerbaijani Diaspora picketed Azerbaijani embassy in Kiev at the initiative of Pora civil party. The pickets expressed protest at brutal dispersal of opposition demonstration in Baku on November 26. Despite pickets’ appeals, none of the embassy’s employees appeared in front of them. The pickets have organized a photo gallery on the wall near the embassy picturing beating of demonstrators in Baku and symbols of Azerbaijani opposition bloc Azadlig, report sources from Ukrainian capital.
Picket in Switzerland
On the 29-th of November Azerbaijanis living in Swiss capital Bern picketed yesterday Azerbaijani embassy in this city. The pickets with political emigrants among them have condemned parliamentary elections’ falsification and police violence against demonstrators on November 26.
It was reported that Uzbek opposition activist Safar Bekjan had expressed his solidarity with Azerbaijani opposition. He expressed concern about the fact that both Ilham Aliyev and Islam Karimov have chosen the way of dictatorship. The resolution has been read out during one hour and a half picket. But none of embassy’s employees appeared in front of the pickets. The resolution demands annulling of falsified results of elections and punishment of people to blame for violent dispersal of November 26 demonstration.
No Response from Baku Officials
Administration of Interior Ministry, Baku Main Police Department and other official agencies avoid comments on international organizations’ criticism against unjustified police violence on November 26. there is no reaction to the above-mentioned agencies’ opinion on the statements of U.S. embassy, U.S. State Department, PACE President and many others that condemned police violence and demanded punishment of those to blame for that have brought no results. Presidential administration also refrained from comments. A source from presidential administration’s public-political and international relationships departments told to the correspondent of TURAN Agency that administration is busy with “reception of guests” and enough has been said about that. Interior Ministry also refused to respond to criticism and accusation of use of unjustified violence against citizens.
