Action has revealed genuine organizers of ?people?s protest?

On April 25, 2003 the regular action of protest against the visits of the Human Rights Center of Azerbaijan (HRCA) to Armenia and Nagorny Karabah was held in front of the office of this organization.

The action was accompanied by hooliganism, which had already become usual: by pane breaking, breakage of a front door lock, egging of windows and insides of the office and the like. Unlike two previous days of organized vandalism when members of pro-government parties were its main participants, on April 25 the office was attacked by the group of members of the ruling Yeni Azerbaijan Party (YAP).

In that way the authorities showed not only a low cultural level of the YAP, leading by the president of the country, but a genuine initiator and coordinator of the wild actions, which pro-government propaganda poses as an expression of ?people?s anger?. The concurrent participation of pro-government parties, ?human rights activist? loyal to the authorities, tens of the pro-government mass media including all so-called ?independent TV-channels? is impossible without confirmation at the highest level of power.

After a time since this regular pogrom 5 members of the youth council of the Karabah Liberation Organization came to the office and passed their demand to the HRCA to break off all the contacts with the Armenians.

The same day an extemporaneous press conference of the director of the HRCA Eldar Zeynalov and the member of the managing committee of the HRCA Zalikha Tagirova was held for the representatives of seven mass media.