Police Break Up Rally Urging Free Elections

Azerbaijani protesters demanding free elections were beaten back by police, who arrested dozens rallying in Baku, capital of the oil-rich former Soviet republic.

Officials had forbidden the protests, citing security concerns four days ahead of a ceremony marking the opening of Azerbaijan’s part of the U.S.-backed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline.

Estimates of the crowd varied from 500 to several thousand. Police said 45 people had been detained, while other groups put the number at between 100 and 300. Norwegian Ambassador Steinar Gil criticized the government for the “crude violence.”