SHUSHA, Azerbaijan — An unlikely group of youth, eco-activists and religious leaders find themselves at the centre of the latest in a long series of disputes between bitter enemies, Azerbaijanis and Armenians.
For nearly 50 days, Azerbaijani protesters have expressed outrage at seven mining companies – including a Canadian one – railing against alleged decades-long environmental damage.
Demonstrators in this Central Asian country insist that inspectors will finally be allowed to assess the Armenian-administered facilities on lands won back by Azerbaijan in the 2020 war. Yet they are stymied by Russian peacekeeping forces, and uncooperative mining companies.
“I want the world to know: we want to protect the environment of our country. It’s ignored by the international community. Innocent people risk future diseases due to the ecological damage,” said activist Adnan Huseyn, founder of tourism organization, About Azerbaijan.
For the rest of this column: https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/gordon-protesters-in-azerbaijan-outraged-over-alleged-mine-pollution