Protests in Baku as Eurovision final looms

Behind the glitz and glam of this weekend’s Eurovision Song Contest, Azaerbaijan is dealing with protests about its Human Rights record.

With an audience of 125 million watching, the Azerbaijani authorities want to win international acclaim for the energy-rich, mainly Muslim state of 9.2 million people -but questions about democratic freedoms remain.

“Both local rights activists and international human rights groups view this as an opportunity to highlight to the world just what is going on in Azerbaijan, which doesn’t normally receive a lot of press coverage,” said Max Tucker, Azerbaijan campaigner for Amnesty International.

On Wednesday hundreds of young Azerbaijanis marched for democracy in central Baku. The protest was silent and no slogans were chanted, but participants wore T-shirts with the words “Sing for Democracy”.

Police, who usually break up unlicensed rallies, initially asked the protesters to disperse but they refused and the demonstration was allowed to continue peacefully. It followed an earlier protest on Monday when 10 people were detained (pictured).

Neighbouring Iran has withdrawn its ambassador from Azerbaijan after clerics criticized Baku’s hosting of the event, after months of accusations by the two countries of meddling in each other’s affairs.

Iran has objected to the flamboyant show, which attracts many gay tourists. Hackers calling themselves Cyberwarriors for Freedom attacked official websites of the contest on Thursday and posted an Azeri-language message demanding Azerbaijan “stop carrying out Eurovision 2012 in Baku and not allow gay parades”

While homosexuality is not illegal in Azerbaijan, neither is it encouraged. Local gay groups have said there are no plans for a gay parade, citing basic support as a greater priority.

Iran has also accused Azerbaijan of assisting Israel in what it says was the Jewish state’s assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists.

Azerbaijan’s government also has a poor track record when it comes to freedom of the press.

In a prominent recent case, investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova received an envelope stuffed with intimate photographs that she was made to understand would be made public if she didn’t stop her aggressive reporting of the government.

“My investigation included the secret business of President Aliyev’s family and documented the facts of corruption on the highest level, disclosed the offshore businesses of members of the ruling family,” she said.

Instead of backing down, Ismayilova went public with the blackmail threat. Covertly filmed footage of her at home was posted online days later.

Recently, Human Rights activists also criticised forcible evictions of people from their homes, sometimes without warning or in the middle of the night, to make way for “city beautification” ahead of Eurovision.

Politics and Eurovision have always gone hand in hand, although the European Broadcasting Union has always borrowed from Switzerland, and sought not to involve itself in regional politics.

David Knox blogs Eurovision at sbs.com.au

Source: Reuters, AFP, Washington Post, Guardian