A Baku district court passed sentence on 21 January on five members of the opposition Musavat party convicted of participating in clashes with police in Baku in the wake of the 15 October presidential election. The five were sentenced to between 12 and 18 months\' imprisonment for obstructing the work of electoral commissions. Also on 21 January, 10 other people apprehended during or after the 16 October clashes were released. A joint statement issued by the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor-General\'s Office said the 10 did not participate in organizing the clashes, and had repented of their actions and petitioned President Aliyev for clemency. Some 90 people remain in custody either awaiting trial or having their alleged roles in the disorders investigated. Speaking in Washington on 21 January, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said the Azerbaijani authorities should either make public immediately the details of the investigation and ensuing charges brought against the detainees, or release them, Turan reported on 22 January. (Turan)