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Azerbaijan police detain 55 in price hike protest

Thursday, 14 January 2016 6:58 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 14 January 2016 6:59 PM ]

File photo shows a front view of Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry in the capital Baku.

Azeri police have detained at least 55 people following a series of mass protests by supporters of opposition parties over price hikes and the collapse of national currency.

Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry confirmed in a statement on Thursday that the protesters were detained during anti-government marches in Siyazan, in eastern Azerbaijan, and several other regions.

The statement added that the detainees have been charged with disobeying police and "committing antisocial acts."

"Protesters on Wednesday used force against representatives of the law enforcement agencies during an unsanctioned march in Siazan district" the statement said, adding, “Police forces have restored public order."

"Similar events took place in [the] Lenkaran, Fizuli, Agdjabedi and Agsu districts of Azerbaijan during protests organized by the [opposition] Popular Front and Musavat parties," the ministry noted.

Security sources say riot police used tear gas to disperse anti-government rallies across the country hit hard by falling oil prices.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan Prosecutor General's office said several policemen were injured and some police vehicles damaged in the violence during mass protests in Siazan district, located about 100 kilometers (about 60 miles) north of the capital, Baku.

Azerbaijan's policemen detain an opposition activist during a rally against the devaluation of the national currency, manat, in Baku on February 28, 2015. (AFP photo)

Azerbaijan’s central bank has said the oil-dependent economy is hurt by "falling oil prices and the continuing devaluation of partner countries' currencies."

Manat, Azerbaijan's national currency, plummeted in December 2015 by over 32 percent. In the same month, the country recorded an 11-fold jump in inflation with consumer prices rising by 4.4 percent after a 0.4-percent rise in November.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year forecast Azerbaijan's economy to grow by 2.5 percent in 2016, versus 4 percent in 2015.

The latest developments come as the government of iron-handed President Ilham Aliyev has continued to suppress opposition leaders and religious figures.

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