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International human rights organization “Human Rights Watch” condemned the arrests of NIDA activists, who took part in the protest held on March 10.

As the deputy Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch Rachel Denber says, the government of Azerbaijan seems to be trying to silence this youth protest group, thus intimidating the other activists.

The statement of Human Rights Watch says that the arrests bring to seven the number of youth activists detained in connection with a peaceful protest on March 10, 2013. The authorities should release all seven activists, investigate the circumstances of their arrests, and drop the charges unless they produce credible evidence that they are legitimate and justified, Human Rights Watch said.

“The failure to take basic steps to establish whether the grounds for detaining the men were reasonable is a violation of the standards required by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), to which Azerbaijan is a party,” Human Rights Watch statement reads.

Human Rights Watch says that nearly all Azerbaijani television channels, including the state channel and the public broadcaster, showed police recordings of Guliyev and Azizov allegedly confessing to planning to use Molotov cocktails during the protests to challenge police and destabilize the situation. The televised statements, which appeared to be coached, raised fears that the activists were coerced or threatened in custody at a time that they were being denied their right to a lawyer.

In this connection the Human Rights Watch says that the Azerbaijani authorities should promptly and effectively investigate the circumstances of the alleged confessions.

“It defies all due process standards that all of these young activists should be put behind bars based on no more than a televised confession made under very dubious circumstances,” Denber said.

The statement says that all of the detainees are active Facebook and Twitter users, often posting criticism about alleged government corruption and human rights abuses. Several NIDA activists also administer a Facebook page, “The Heydar Aliyev Page,” named for a former president. The page is a platform for caricature, satire, and criticism of the government.

Mass protest against the deaths of soldiers in the army in non-combat situation was held at the beginning of 2013, in Baku. On January 12 in 2013 a protest against the deaths of soldiers was held in Baku which was dispersed by the police. In connection with the continuing deaths of soldiers in the army, the initiative group in Facebook appointed a protest on March 10.

The activists of NIDA movement called on the citizens to take part in a protest against the numerous deaths of Azerbaijani soldiers in non-combat situation. Thus, in 2012, according to "Doctrine", the Azerbaijani military investigations center, 97 soldiers were killed in the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, 80% of which died in the non-combat situation. In 2013, the state bodies of Azerbaijan confirmed the death of 18 soldiers, 15 of which in non-combat situation.

On the eve of 10 of March three activists were detained. They were charged for possessing "Molotov cocktails" that they supposedly were going to use during the protest. Civil Movement “NIDA” denied accusations of the MNS and the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan, claiming that during the search of the apartment of three activists "Molotov cocktails" and drugs have been found. Relatives of the arrested stated that all that was "found" in the apartments was planted by the Azerbaijani enforcers.