January 14, 2010 - 18:07 AMT
Diplomats cannot talk with villagers of Benaniyar
Diplomats from the United States and Norway visited the Foreign Ministry of Nakhichevan and plan to visit Baku. Representatives of the U.S. Embassy Joanna Ganson, and the Embassy of Norway Lars Hansen on Wednesday had an unpleasant incident, radio "Freedom" reported.

The night before they went to the region to familiarize with the situation in the village Benaniyar . On the morning of January 13, entering the village they encountered a group of excited people who verbally abused them and screamed. The group stopped their vehicle as it entered the village, verbally threatened them and forced them to leave before any contacts with village residents were made. Nevertheless, diplomats drove into the village, but with anyone of their residents, they could not talk because no one went out of their homes. 

In the Azerbaijani village Benaniyar, located on the territory of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (NAR), in early January  mass arrests were made, some of the residents were beaten by security forces.