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Police arrest organizer of demonstration in Azerbaijan

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November 20, 2000 

BAKU, Azerbaijan--(UNB/AP) - An organizer of an opposition protest against the alleged rigging of this month's parliamentary elections was briefly detained Sunday, party officials said.

Arif Gadzhiyev, the opposition Musavat party's organizational secretary, was taken into police custody Sunday morning, party spokesman Burgun Eiyub said. He was released later in the day.

Gadzhiyev is reported to have played a key role in organizing a rally Saturday in Baku, the Azerbaijani capital, that attracted tens of thousands of people.

After his release, he told reporters that his detention was related to the rally, the Interfax news agency reported. He said he was detained on charges of spreading distorted information during the Baku demonstration.

Another protest was held Saturday in the city of Sheki, about 200 kilometers (120 miles) northwest of Baku. About 40 people were arrested after clashes broke out, according to members of the opposition groups that organized the demonstration. Local police confirmed that clashes took place, but declined to say if anyone was detained.

Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry estimated the crowd in Sheki at about 1,500 people and said demonstrators had set fire to police vehicles and tried to free detainees from a police station.

Opposition groups claim the Nov. 5 parliamentary elections, in which ruling party candidates won 80 of 96 seats, were rigged. International observers also have criticized the elections.