Police in the Azerbaijani capital today detained dozens of opposition activists on their way to a rally outside the mayor's office, RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service reports.

The rally was organized by the opposition Azadliq (Liberty) political grouping, which includes the Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, the Liberal Party, and the Civil and Development Party. They were picketing the Mayor's Office to demand that the authorities respect freedom of assembly. But police and plainclothes officers did not allow the activists to gather at the City Hall, and detained the demonstrators in small groups near the Iceri Seher subway station.

Among the detainees were the journalist Seymur Haziyev, Vice-Chairan of the Liberal Party of Azerbaijan Avez Temirakh, as well as Ayande Mursaliyeva, the wife of the editor-in-chief of the Azadiq newspaper, the journalists Natig Gulahmedov and Parviz Hashimli and others, reported Turan.

Azadliq representatives said about 80 party members were detained. They said about 50 of them were taken to the police department and the rest driven to various parts of the city. The police, however, reported 30 detainees and explained that the action had not been sanctioned.

Two weeks ago police also broke up a similar protest in front of the Baku City Hall organized by the opposition Musavat party.

The Azerbaijani Constitution guarantees freedom of assembly, but the Baku authorities have refused to allow public protests in the city center for three years, only permitting demonstrations on the outskirts.

T.P.