Police detained and then released three protestors. Rauf Arifoglu, editor of the opposition newspaper Yeni Musavat, said police used force against the protestors, one of whom was taken to the hospital.
International media watchdogs have criticized Azerbaijan, where seven journalists are in prison, for stifling press freedoms, and say that journalists who criticize the authorities or expose corruption face a growing risk of arrest or reprisal attacks.
(with material from agency reports)