The bigger picture...

On March 18, 2009 Azerbaijan will hold a referendum on constitutional changes, which will remove a two term limit on the presidency of Azerbaijan. 

For those who are against the referendum and would like to publicly debate on the recent constitutional change, anyone (in this case the opposition) must collect 40,000 signatures according to the Central Election Committee of Azerbaijan. 

However, since nothing in Azerbaijan is done according to rules and regulations, so has this procedure also been violated. 

On January 22, Fakhreddin Abbasli- deputy head of Musavat opposition party- was arrested while he was collecting signatures. Two more people- members of Popular Front Party (PFP)- were arrested on January 21st. The charge on the basis of which these people were arrested was possession of drugs. I wonder, how a person in his 40s or 50s who has never used drugs before would suddenly decide to take drugs (unless of course, their dissatisfaction with the current state of events has reached a point, at which 'getting high' is the only possible way to avoid whatever is going on)?!

Of course the bigger picture is very simple. Drugs is only an element of divergence. I wonder how many more drug possession charges will have to be issued and what other ways of stalling people from expressing their distress will be used over the next two months?