Protest against pro-Armenian congressman Frank Pallone held in Baku

Today, a group of Azerbaijani NGO leaders and public activists held another protest rally in front of the hotel where pro-Armenian US Congressman Frank Pallone is staying, Report informs.

The main demands of the NGOs were for Pallone to apologize to the Azerbaijani people, for criminal proceedings to be initiated against his security guards who used violence against public activists during yesterday's peaceful action, and for the congressman himself to answer for defamation campaigns against Azerbaijan.

Last night, a group of Azerbaijani civil society representatives issued a joint statement about the violence and injuries inflicted on demonstrators by the congressman's security guards under his direction.

"The Islamaphobic and Turkophobic financial rogue and corrupt US congressman Frank Pallone is a person hating the people of Azerbaijan and all his activities are based on slander against our country. He acts in the interests of the Armenian lobby in the United States and has repeatedly shown utter disrespect for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We regret that the UN has invited such a person to COP29.

We are raising an objection to his visit to Azerbaijan. We held a peaceful protest in front of the hotel where he is staying and demanded that he apologize to the people of Azerbaijan. He is a person patronizing a war criminal. During the occupation in Karabakh, its nature was completely destroyed and the area plunged into an ecological crisis. The fact that the UN has invited such a person to a global environment event dedicated to climate change will go down in COP history as the most shameful incident. During our protest, Frank Pallone ordered his guards to attack us and shied away from answering our questions," read the statement.

During today's peaceful rally, NGO activists signed an appeal to Azerbaijan's Ministry of Internal Affairs demanding criminal proceedings against the congressman's security guards. NGO representatives also demand legal measures against Pallone himself, who repeatedly illegally crossed Azerbaijan's borders during the occupation period.