Azernews.Az

BAKU – Police in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, dispersed antigovernment protests staged by small groups of youths on Friday.

Activists were trying to muster public support for Friday’s protest on Facebook, to designate March 11 as "Great People's Day" and stage protests against President Ilham Aliyev's government.

In the afternoon, protesters gathered in two central locations of the capital – Nizami Street and Jafar Jabbarly Square near the 28 May subway station, chanting "Freedom!" and "Democratic reform!" But the police did not allow the protesters to proceed and detained scores of them in an attempt to thwart the unsanctioned protest.

The Interior Ministry said 43 defiant protesters were taken to police precincts. The cases of 20 detainees were sent to courts, while the rest of them were released.

The son of the leader of Azerbaijan’s main opposition party, Musavat, Turgut Gambar, was among those protesters who were temporarily detained.

The European Union, the U.S. embassy in Baku, and Amnesty International had earlier expressed concern over the recent arrests of Azerbaijani activists.

The "Great People's Day" protest was initially planned as a "virtual protest" to express solidarity online. However, it later turned into calls for street demonstrations against Aliyev's government.

Over 4,000 people had reportedly used Facebook to confirm their intention to join Friday’s protests.