The authorities had forbidden opposition parties from organizing a rally in the center of the city, but they attempted to go ahead anyway. Scores were reportedly detained.
The Turkic history of the khanate – on the territory of modern-day Armenia’s capital – has emerged as one of the Azerbaijani government’s main ideological weapons.
Two months after Armenia’s prime minister controversially declared that “Karabakh is Armenia – period,” Azerbaijan’s president has finally delivered his emphatic retort.
The country announced a 40 percent increase to the minimum wage, on top of another increase earlier this year. Many worried the move would only spur inflation.
Baku has a new park, the result of one of the most hotly disputed gentrification efforts of the post-Soviet period. But even critics say it provides much-needed green space.
While there are many unanswered questions about the fighting – the worst since the 1994 ceasefire – some think a new parliament commission is about scoring political points.
The homecoming has occasioned some controversy, as Azerbaijani authorities say the remains of the legendary Caucasus hero Hadji Murad were taken out of the country without their permission.
Some opposed the decision, saying other Armenian athletes braved the hostile environment. Others said he should have taken a stronger stand against Azerbaijani discrimination against ethnic Armenians.
