BTC pipeline opening followed with violence
24 May 2005
As western dignitaries gather to celebrate the initial flow of Caspian oil - although the Georgian section of the pipeline is still incomplete - police ends a peaceful rally in Baku, Azerbaijan, with arrests and violence.
On Saturday, May 20, five days before the “opening” ceremony of the BTC pipeline, even thought the Georgian section of the pipeline is still incomplete, the Azerbaijan authorities in Baku demonstrated their willingness to cancel opposition to the project. Demonstrators were not allowed to uphold their constitutional right to demonstrate as police broke up a peaceful action in Baku, on the grounds that it would have been "inexpedient" before the arrival of the western dignitaries including the US Energy Secretary, scheduled to attend the opening ceremony. Police rounded up some 30 opposition members ahead of the protest in what the opposition alleged was an attempt to derail the rally and arrested another 45 during the rally itself as they doled out severe beatings to dozens of pro-democracy protestors. For Azerbaijan, wracked by corruption and poverty, the pipeline has been a useful political tool with officials lauding it as the answer to all of the country’s financial problems. But the crackdown on the opposition has highlighted concerns that the awaited benefits will never trickle down to the general population in an atmosphere of general unaccountability.
For more information about the BTC Pipeline, visit BIC's BTC Pipeline Page: