Overview
- Azerbaijan’s embassy said protesters tried to breach a protected perimeter and took offensive actions toward Ilham Aliyev’s motorcade, prompting guards to intervene.
- Protesters said they were peaceful and were beaten, with Rahim Yagublu reporting kicks and blows and organizer Adil Amrakhly saying five people were injured, including a concussion.
- The embassy said the hotel area was within a U.S. Secret Service security zone and asserted its personnel operated in coordination with the host country.
- The Metropolitan Police Department said it is aware of the incident and made no arrests, while the Secret Service declined comment and referred inquiries to the State Department, which did not respond.
- Demonstrators called for the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan, citing more than 400 detainees, and coverage noted parallels to a 2017 case involving Turkish security guards in Washington.