(Bloomberg) --

Police in Azerbaijan used force to disperse dozens of demonstrators outside the Turkish embassy in Baku, who were protesting the arrest of an Azeri-born businessman in Turkey.

A Turkish court on Monday ordered the arrest of Mubariz Mansimov Gurbanoglu, founder and chairman of the Istanbul-based Palmali Group, who’s accused of links to U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkish authorities allege Gulen masterminded a 2016 coup attempt. Gurbanoglu rejected the charge in a Facebook statement that said he’d begun a hunger strike.

The protesters in Baku called for Gurbanoglu’s release and some accused Azeri state energy company Socar of involvement in the shipping magnate’s detention. Socar, which is engaged in arbitration proceedings with Palmali in London and Dubai, issued a website statement denying any role in the case.

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