Activists advocating for the release of Azerbaijan’s political prisoners told CNN that they were beaten by guards of President Ilham Aliyev in Washington, D.C., after the first meeting of the Peace Council with Donald Trump.
Footage circulated on social media showing protesters being thrown to the ground, while a group of men in business suits physically detained them near the hotel where Aliyev was staying.
The protesters gathered outside the hotel to demand freedom for political prisoners and journalists. According to Adil Amrahli, who spoke to CNN through a translator, the demonstration was intended to be peaceful; the incident occurred when the group moved toward Aliyev’s motorcade as he returned from the Peace Council event.
If his guards can attack peaceful protesters in downtown Washington, D.C., this raises serious concerns about what will happen to opposition members and the more than 400 political prisoners currently detained in Azerbaijan.
– Adil Amrahli
Reaction and Context
A representative of the Azerbaijani embassy in the United States rejected these claims, saying that Aliyev’s guards had no choice but to respond to protesters trying to enter a protected area and to strike the presidential vehicle.
They also said that the hotel was within an official security perimeter set by the U.S. Secret Service for the event.
Another protester, Rahim Yagubli, whose father Tofig Yagubli is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan, told CNN: “We did nothing to the guards.”
The video clearly shows that I was just shouting slogans, while they beat me.
– Rahim Yagubli
The Washington Metropolitan Police Department told CNN that it is aware of the incident and that no one was arrested. The U.S. Secret Service, which was on the scene, declined to comment and referred questions to the State Department, according to the MPD.
The State Department did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
Amrahli, who lives in Virginia and heads the Charter of the American Organization of Azerbaijani Political Refugees, said that five people were injured, including one person with a concussion. He also noted that family members of protesters still living in Azerbaijan faced political pressure on Friday – they were questioned at police stations and at work.
Yagubli told CNN about his concern for his father and fears that the Azerbaijani government could torture or kill him in retaliation. Last year Tofig Yagubli was sentenced to nine years in prison for criticizing the government, according to the rights group Freedom Now.
The Azerbaijani embassy did not respond to CNN’s requests regarding accusations of intimidating protesters’ relatives.
The incident recalls the 2017 case when guards of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan beat protesters outside the country’s embassy in Washington. Later, the United States dropped charges against 11 of the 15 guards who were charged after the clash.
CNN correspondent Anna Chernova contributed to this report.