1. Timeline
     January 19    January 24    January 26  

2. Protestors

3. Aftermath

4. Reactions
     Local    International  

5. See also

6. References

• {{flagicon image|Müsavat Partiyası logo.jpg}} Musavat
• {{flagicon image|REAL party.svg}} RAP
• {{flagicon image|AHC logo.jpg}} APFP
• Protestors

• {{flagicon image|Müsavat Partiyası logo.jpg}} Tofig Yagublu
• {{flagicon image|REAL party.svg}} Ilgar Mammadov
• {{flagicon image|AHC logo.jpg}} Ali Karimli

Rally in support of political prisoners ({{lang-az|Siyasi məhbuslara dəstək etirazı}}) was a protest organized by the National Council of Democratic Forces in Mahsul Stadium, in Baku, Azerbaijan on January 19, 2019. The purpose of the rally was to demand the release of blogger Mehman Huseynov and others recognized as political prisoners by international organizations.

On March 3, 2017 Azerbaijani blogger Mehman Huseynov was sentenced to two years in prison on defamation charges. Two months before the end of the sentence, on December 26, 2018 Azerbaijani Prison Service stated that Huseynov attacked an officer. Human rights activists considered the new criminal case as a revenge on the blogger for criticizing the authorities. However, on January 22, after the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev demanded to ensure the objectivity of the investigation, the case was closed.^[1]

On December 10, 2018, the Union for the Freedom of Political Prisoners of Azerbaijan presented a list of political prisoners for the International Human Rights Day celebrated on December 10th. The list consisted of 150 people.^[2]

Timeline

January 19

On January 19, 2019 several thousand people took part in a protest action organized by the National Council of Democratic Forces in Mahsul Stadium, Baku.^[3][4] The purpose of the rally was to demand the release of blogger Mehman Huseynov and other people recognized as political prisoners by international organizations.^[5]

The police closed the stadium 15 minutes after the start of the rally, and the mobile internet service was turned off at the stadium so that no one could watch live broadcasts on social networks. The police took the portraits of political prisoners brought by some of the participants who were standing at the entrance. The protesters began shouting slogans “Freedom to political prisoners”, “Freedom to Mehman Huseynov”, “This is our homeland”, “We will win” and other slogans.^[5]

Representatives of the opposition parties Musavat, Republican Alternative and Azerbaijani Popular Front Party, as well as political activists attended the stands.^[6] Vice-chairman of the Musavat party, Tofig Yagublu, the chairman of the Republican Alternative Party, Ilgar Mammadov, and the chairman of the Popular Front of Azerbaijan party, Ali Karimli spoke at the rally. In their speeches, they criticized Azerbaijan's government and talked about corruption, economic conditions and violations of human rights. In addition, they also cricized the peaceful position of the government of Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. There were no gross violations of public order and the law.^[5]

January 24

The executive branch of Baku Mayoralty refused to hold a rally on January 26 for the opposition National Council of Democratic Forces. The refusal was motivated by the fact that during the ceremony of visiting the Alley of Martyrs on January 20 there were violations of public order. For this reason, the head of the Main Police Department of Baku, Major General Mirgafar Seyidov, appealed to the executive authority of the capital to ban the holding of street opposition rallies.^[7]

January 26

According to the Main Police Department of Baku, a group of 50 to 60 people made an attempt to hold a rally on Mirali Sayidov Street in the Yasamal District. 15 protestors were detained and were taken to the Yasamal District Police Department. 10 people were arrested for various charges. The rest were given a verbal warning, after which they were released.^[8]

Protestors

According to the organizers, about 20 thousand people took part in the rally,^[6] although Baku Main Police Department stated that the number of participants was 2,800.^[9][10]

Aftermath

As a result of the protest rally on January 21, 2019, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev instructed to objectively investigate the case of Mehman Huseynov.^[11] On January 22, 2019 the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan made a statement on the termination of a new criminal case against blogger Mehman Huseynov, who was in prison.^[12]

Reactions

Local

The rally participants complained about too much attention to them from the police. They were called to police stations under various pretexts. Some were asked a few questions over the telephone. The questions mainly concern passport information, such as names, addresses, and phone numbers. Some were asked about their profession and political affiliation. Instead of a specific department, they called from the local accommodation departments.^[13]

International

The Council of Europe and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs called for the release of the blogger.^[14]

Since the beginning of January, a public campaign in support of Huseynov, who is serving a sentence in prison, is underway in Azerbaijan and several European countries.^[14]

See also

• 2011 Azerbaijani protests
• 2013 Baku protests
• Human rights in Azerbaijan

References

• Giuseppe Modugno
• Giuseppe Mojoli
• Giuseppe Molteni
• Giuseppe Montanari
• Giuseppe Monti
• Giuseppe Morello (footballer)
• Giuseppe Moretti (botanist)
• Giuseppe Morosini
• Giuseppe Morselli
• Giuseppe Mosca
• Giuseppe mosca
• Giuseppe Moscati - L'amore che guarisce
• Giuseppe Motta Medal
• Giuseppe Motta (pilot)
• Giuseppe Motta (politician)
• Giuseppe Mura
• Giuseppe Murnigotti
• Giuseppe Nahmad
• Giuseppe Nardulli
• Giuseppe Nascimbeni
• Giuseppe Natoli
• Giuseppe Nazzaro
• Giuseppe Niccolini
• Giuseppe Nicolini
• Giuseppe Nicolini (bishop)