Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Prosecutor General Zakir Qaralov vowed to "suppress" protests, comparing them to incidents in "other countries" and saying that the government would not allow them to go forward.

Opposition groups called on authorities to release the young activist and compared his detention to the suppression of dissidents in Egypt and other countries, but police insisted the arrest was not political.

Several dozen rally-goers, mostly young men and women,[12] waved signs and chanted slogans calling for Egyptian President Mubarak to step down, but also voiced dissent against several recently adopted Azerbaijani government policies, including price increases for services.

[16] The New York Times reported that about 60 people gathered in Baku, the capital city, in response to the scheduled event on Facebook, but security forces quickly clamped down, preventing the demonstration from gaining much steam.

Once again, however, police were prepared for the rally and began arresting people on the spot, including at least one person for speaking to a Western journalist, though media reported they had a more difficult time subduing the larger, better-prepared protest than they had on 11 March.

[18] The Azerbaijani Human Rights House and the European Union, among others, criticised Aliyev's government and called on authorities to allow people to demonstrate peacefully.

Opposition leader Ali Karimli of the Azerbaijani Popular Front Party said that while activists intended to demonstrate peacefully, "In case of a provocation, however, we will not be responsible."

[22] Police again dispersed an attempted demonstration in Baku's Fountain Square on 17 April, arresting activists chanting pro-democracy slogans, including a mother and her young daughter, and briefly detaining two or three Swedish journalists.

Interior Minister Ehsan Zahidov insisted that the protesters, by gathering in front of the cinema instead of at the Bibi Heybat settlement on the outskirts of the city, were "violating the constitutional rights of citizens" and added, "If the Public Chamber rally set for 19 June [was] sanctioned by the Baku Mayor's Office and staged in a venue allotted by it, the police would provide security of rally participants."

However, BBC News has noted that as many as 80 percent of Azerbaijanis do not use the Internet, which has perhaps contributed to relatively low turnout compared to protests in neighboring Armenia[45] and Iran,[46] among other places.

[47] A BBC analyst also remarked upon a strategy seen at the unsuccessful 17 April rally in Fountain Square, with demonstrators slowly gathering while at least initially trying to appear unorganized, very similar to a smart mob.

[16] To accomplish this, authorities have ordered security forces to the scene of planned demonstrations, taking a proactive approach rather than reacting once protests actually break out.

[5][20] Authorities have cited the relatively small scale of protests as proof that the Azerbaijani public supports the government and does not approve of the opposition parties.

The government has warned the France-based blogger who first called for the 11 March protests on Facebook that he will be prosecuted and could face up to 12 years in prison if he returns to Azerbaijan.

His family has reportedly also faced consequences, with his father and cousins briefly being detained and the government allegedly pressuring his parents' employers to fire them from their jobs.

[54] The government put four APFP members, one Müsavat activist, and an unaffiliated anti-government demonstrator on trial on 13 July over their alleged role in organizing protests.

[55] Trend News Agency reported that about 100 young Azerbaijanis gathered in front of Karimli's house on 13 April to demonstrate against the APFP leader's role in organizing protests.

Bryza admitted that U.S. diplomats in Baku had met with Ali Karimli and Isa Gambar in early April, but said he had not been party to the talks and they did not constitute official U.S. backing for the opposition's goals.

On 13 April, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov summoned the head of the EU delegation to Azerbaijan to express his government's displeasure over the statement.

[62] The International Press Institute echoed Amnesty's criticisms, condemning the Azerbaijani government's deportation of three Swedish journalists for reporting on the demonstration in Fountain Square on 17 April.

He said Iran has a vested interest in discouraging foreign investment in Azerbaijan, a regional rival for oil and natural gas exports, and Tehran may have sought to spook investors by attempting to destabilize the country.