Police dispersed opposition rally in Baku- UPDATED

21:19

Deputy Chief of Baku City Main board of Police, Yashar Aliyev held a press conference where informed that there were 26 police officers injured dispersing the demonstration and they were taken to the hospital of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Aliyev also informed that police arrested 29 protestors who showed resistance to the police forces and noted that "Azadliq" managed to gather about 4,000 men to participate at the demonstration. No numbers of injured from the opposition side were given by the police deputy chief.

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20.00

Police forces began to pull down the opposition tents and protesters dispersed in the different directions from the square. Microphons were switched off and the tribune of the demonstrants was broken.

Some minutes later Mobile Police regiments as well as soldiers of the Internal Forces  accompanied by specially trained police dogs marched on the square. The square was surrounded with barbed wire.

Though Musavat leader Isa Gambar, PFPA chairman Ali Karimli, first deputy chairman of the DPA Sardar Jalaloglu left the square earlier, the chairman of National Unity Movement Lala Shovkat stayed there till the end and was taken out by police. Another oppositionist Avaz Temirkhan was seriously injured.

The protestors responded police with stones while the action was dispersed. Slogans criticizing the international organizations, diplomatic missions in Baku, especially the ambassador of the USA in Azerbaijan were sounded by crowd at the demonstration.

Stones, clothes and flags were scattered around the square, the police destroyed the rostrums put up by the participants. According to the Deputy Chief of Baku City Main board of Police, Yashar Aliyev 20 police officers were injured while dispersing the rally. Yashar Aliyev stated that one person from the rally participants was injured. No information is given about the number of detained persons.

At present, the square is under control of police. Strategic objects in Baku are under control. The associate of APA observing the square of “Azadliq” said of it to be taken under control.

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19:00

After expiration of the time authorized by the Baku City Executive power for holding the actions of protest (5 p.m.), deputy head of the Baku City Chief Police Department Yashar Aliyev urged the demonstrators to leave the square.

Nevertheless, the oppositional leaders called on the protestors not to leave the squarey and hold the sit-in action of protest.

At the result, there was a confrontation between the police and demonstrators. Some groups of the protestors tried to resist the police forces. Both police and protestors suffered from the clash, however, no exact information at the moment is available.

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17:20

The opposition started its rally today at Galaba square at 3:30 p.m. The rally was opened with a speech of the deputy chairman of the Musavat party Arif Hadjili.

After him the floor was taken by Azadliq leaders: the chairman of the Musavat party Isa Gambar, chairman of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA), reformists, Ali Kerimli, leader of the National Unity Movement Lala-Shovket Hadjiyeva.

In their speeches they blamed the authorities for falsifications of the parliamentary elections. In his speech Ali Kerimli called the protestors to hold a one-minute sit-in action.

The head of the OSCE Baku office Mauricio Pavesi and the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Azerbaijan, Lowrence Bristow visited the rally observing the demonstration.

The deputy head of the Yasamal district police Chingiz Mammadov has not produced any reports on the number of demonstrators yet, however, Musavat leader's deputy, Hadjily announced that over 40,000 people were involved in the rally.

Trend/APA