Azeri police warn against Baku demo after self-immolation

Police warned against unsanctioned demonstrations in Baku following calls on Facebook to rally on central Fountains’ Square in support of a Karabakh war veteran that set himself alight on Dec. 25.“Any attempt to disrupt public order in the capital through unsanctioned demonstrations will be thwarted,” Maj-Gen Sahlab Bagirov, deputy chief of Baku police, said in a statement.Zaur Hasanov, who was disabled during the war in Karabakh, set himself ablaze in central Baku in protest against what described as illegal seizure of his cafe by Sattar Mehbaliyev, a member of parliament and head of the Confederation of Trade Unions.He was hospitalized with severe burns.

Pictures of the self-immolation were posted online and shared on social networks. Some groups on Facebook called for a demonstration on Dec. 28. 

ANN.Az