Tofig Yagublu was detained shortly after the president warned that the opposition was using the coronavirus to destabilize Azerbaijan. Now even pro-government MPs are calling for his release.
Migrants and diasporas from the two sides have brawled around the world in a social media-fueled interethnic clash larger than this conflict has previously seen.
The country's president blamed the main opposition party for instigating violence at the rally, though the party denied it. Several activists have been detained.
The country’s social media has been filled with patriotism and cheering for the attacks on Azerbaijan, but many also are pushing back and calling for cooler heads.
The international response to the clashes – the worst since 2016 – has tended to treat both sides equally, while each side insists that the other is to blame.
The two presidents spoke following the violent breakup of a protest by Azerbaijani labor migrants in Dagestan. Details of a possible diplomatic resolution of the situation have been scant, however.
