AZERBAIJAN : PRESIDENT ALIYEV SURVIVES A COUP ATTEMPT

Record ID: 218550

  • Title: AZERBAIJAN : PRESIDENT ALIYEV SURVIVES A COUP ATTEMPT
  • Date: 17th March 1995
  • Summary: BAKU, AZERBAIJAN (MARCH 17, 1995) (AGENCY POOL - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV POLICE STATION WITH WHITE FLAG 0.07 2. SV BURNING BUILDING 0.15 3. SCU BROKEN WINDOW 0.17 4. SV CAPTURED REBEL POLICEMEN 0.20 5. SV STRETCHER WITH BODY OF REBEL LEADER DEPUTY INTERIOR MINISTER ROVSHAN JAVADOV CARRIED OUT OF AMBULANCE 0.32 6. SV BODY IN MORGUE 0.46 7. SV BAKU STREET SCENE 0.52 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 1st April 1995 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BAKU, AZERBAIJAN
  • City:
  • Country: EUROPE Azerbaijan
  • Reuters ID: LVA81NW1WA46F7AYX79LYLS8J4EH
  • Story Text: Azerbaijan's President Haydar Aliyev survived a coup attempt on Friday (March 17) when his troops crushed a rebellion by members of an elite police unit.

    The government said the OPON (Special-designation police unit) rebels had aimed to seize and assassinate Aliyev.

    The rebel leader Deputy Interior Minister Rovshan Javadov was killed when government troops attacked the OPON base outside the capital Baku where hundreds of insurgent police were holed up, Azeri authorities said.

    Both sides used machine-guns and grenade launchers in the assault. Government soldiers attacked the base after the rebels tried to break out of the base and capture the presidential palace.

    Reuters Television cameraman Adil Bunyatov, 36, was killed covering the storming of the base.

    The rebellion started on Monday when some OPON forces seized administrative buildings in the north of Azerbaijan. National Security Minister Namig Abbasov told a cabinet meeting Javadov had plotted the coup because he wanted to become interior minister of the state.

    Javadov was buried on Saturday at a funeral attended by about 500 people in a cemetary outside Baku. It passed off peacefully.

    The capital Baku was quiet and transport was running as normal on Saturday.


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