BAKU -- Dozens of police officers raided a Baku neighborhood on June 8 and detained several people in an early morning operation that one rights activist described as a "revenge operation."
The incident occurred in Baku's Yeni Yasamal neighborhood, where police detained 11 residents of an apartment block.
The Interior Ministry issued a statement alleging that the detainees had thrown garbage at police officers a day earlier as they were detaining another local for "violating restrictions imposed to slow down the spread of the coronavirus."
During the June 8 operation, apartment block residents shouted from their balconies, criticized the police, and recorded the proceedings, some of which appeared harsh, on their cell phones.
One of the residents told RFE/RL that police launched the special operation at around 6 a.m. local time.
Human rights activist Baxtiyar Haciyev told RFE/RL that the police raid typifies the increasing gap between law enforcement structures and ordinary citizens.
"What we saw today looked like a revenge operation, a step by police to intimidate citizens, to break them," Haciyev said. "Meanwhile, all moves by state entities must be done strictly within legal frameworks."
Azerbaijan Rights Activist Accuses Baku Police Of Conducting 'Revenge Operation'
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