Crackdown on environmental protest in Azerbaijan sparks outrage, 23 June 2023

Images of gratuitous police violence against older female demonstrators have caused outrage and drawn attention to an environmental protest in rural western Azerbaijan. The demonstration was held in the village of Soyudlu, in Gadabay District, on June 20. Locals gathered in the village center and later moved towards the local police station in protest against the planned construction of an artificial lake meant to hold waste from the nearby Gadabay gold mine.

"Don't poison us" and "the Kura river is getting poisoned", read some of the signs brandished by the protesters until they were dispersed by riot police using tear gas and rubber bullets.

One video of the crackdown that circulated widely clearly showed riot police spraying a chemical irritant directly into the faces of several older female protesters. After the incident, the Interior Ministry said the protesters had "deliberately disobeyed the lawful demands of the police and injured several workers with stones and blunt objects, and also tried to resist the police officers," thus justifying the use of force... 

Villagers say the operation of the Gadabay gold mine leeches cyanide and other forms of toxic waste into an existing nearby lake, causing health problems among locals, including cancer, as well as damaging crops. They fear the construction of a second reservoir for holding waste will only exacerbate the problem...

The Gadabay gold mine (also referred to as Gedabek) is operated by Anglo Asian Mining, a British company which is the leading gold and copper producer in Azerbaijan. Gold is among the country's biggest exports, bringing in $185 million to the state budget in 2022 and $202 million in 2021. The main gold mines are Gadabay and Dashkasan, both located in the western part of the country. 

At present, police are controlling all movement in and out of the village. Only those presenting proof of residence in Soyudlu are allowed in...