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EURO SONG HOSTS ARE CORRUPT SAYS SHOW
BY: MARK JEFFERIES
The Mirror
May 21, 2012 Monday
UK
PROGRAMME ACCUSES AZERBAIJAN OF DIRTY TRICKS DURING 2009 VOTING
EUROVISION hosts Azerbaijan are corrupt and used dirty tricks during
voting, a TV investigation will claim tonight.
The Baku Crystal Hall, a huge 20,000 seater venue has been built
specially for, the song contest this coming weekend.
But BBC's Panorama has discovered its construction led to communist
blocks of flats in the area being demolished - with some residents
still inside.
Local Azru Ali said: "It was around 5am when I heard a noise and the
building shook. A bulldozer had started demolishing the other side
of the building. We were scared and I ran out with the children."
BBC reporter Paul Kenyon went undercover in the former Soviet republic
and also found people were arrested for voting for rival country
Armenia in the song contest in 2009.
They have pulled out of this year's contest over fears for their
competitors safety in a country they were recently at war with.
Referring to attempts to stop Armenia getting any coverage, voter
Rovshan Nasirili told the programme: "When the act from Armenia
performed, Azen TV stopped the broadcast.
"As a sign of protest I voted for Armenia.
"They (the police) asked why I voted for Armenia. They took a statement
from me and applied some pressure."
President Ilham Aliyev's forces even plants cameras in people's homes
and threatens to jail or blackmail journalists if they do not praise
or agree with the ruling family ahead of Eurovision.
Emin Huseynov, chairman of the institute of reporters' freedom and
safety in Axerbaijan said: "The government try to control us under
surveillance. They use different means to provoke us. They can arrest
journalists on trumped up charges.
"They kill them and wouldn't try to find and punish the killers."
During Eurovision, the president and his wife Merihiban have arranged
for her son-in-law to sing on stage if front of an estimated audience
of 120million.
Mr Kenyon says Emin Agalarov will be allowed to sing there so the
ruling family, who run a "mafia state", can promote themselves.
Ingrid Deltenre, Director General of the EBU which organises
Eurovision, said: "I can't hide myself, it was amazing.
"I can't do anything about it. I've been told he's actually a
really good singer. It's something we would say 'oh is this really
necessary'. I have to admit that.
"We are going with the song contest to Azerbaijan because it is
according to the rules."
But the decision to expose and attack Eurovision has come under fire
from UK entrant Engelbert Humperdinck, who claims he was "ambushed"
by Panorama to take part in the show.
BBC journalists decided to confront Humperdinck to ask him why he
was taking part and what his views were on human rights in the country.
The singer remained calm and smiling as he was approached by Mr Kenyon
but his entourage, including BBC staff, were furious.
The scene will be shown on tomorrow night's programme despite pleas
from other parts of the BBC not to do so.
In an angry exchange of emails, Chris Hewlett, Humperdinck's agent,
told Mr Kenyon: "I wanted to drop you an email and just make very
clear how surprised and disappointed we all were that Panorama felt it
appropriate to ambush Engelbert Humperdinck on BBC property in order
to force a reaction from him, without even giving him the courtesy
of time to frame his thoughts.
"As you know, Eurovision is a BBC show, and he was invited by the
BBC to participate, and we feel that these actions by another BBC
team were at best ill-judged."
But a Panorama spokesman said: "We're satisfied that we've acted
fairly and followed our editorial guidelines."
AZERBAIJAN FILE Gained independence in 1991. Oil rich nation of nine
million people built EUR134million Crystal Hall, left, in capital
Baku for Eurovision contest
BY: MARK JEFFERIES
The Mirror
May 21, 2012 Monday
UK
PROGRAMME ACCUSES AZERBAIJAN OF DIRTY TRICKS DURING 2009 VOTING
EUROVISION hosts Azerbaijan are corrupt and used dirty tricks during
voting, a TV investigation will claim tonight.
The Baku Crystal Hall, a huge 20,000 seater venue has been built
specially for, the song contest this coming weekend.
But BBC's Panorama has discovered its construction led to communist
blocks of flats in the area being demolished - with some residents
still inside.
Local Azru Ali said: "It was around 5am when I heard a noise and the
building shook. A bulldozer had started demolishing the other side
of the building. We were scared and I ran out with the children."
BBC reporter Paul Kenyon went undercover in the former Soviet republic
and also found people were arrested for voting for rival country
Armenia in the song contest in 2009.
They have pulled out of this year's contest over fears for their
competitors safety in a country they were recently at war with.
Referring to attempts to stop Armenia getting any coverage, voter
Rovshan Nasirili told the programme: "When the act from Armenia
performed, Azen TV stopped the broadcast.
"As a sign of protest I voted for Armenia.
"They (the police) asked why I voted for Armenia. They took a statement
from me and applied some pressure."
President Ilham Aliyev's forces even plants cameras in people's homes
and threatens to jail or blackmail journalists if they do not praise
or agree with the ruling family ahead of Eurovision.
Emin Huseynov, chairman of the institute of reporters' freedom and
safety in Axerbaijan said: "The government try to control us under
surveillance. They use different means to provoke us. They can arrest
journalists on trumped up charges.
"They kill them and wouldn't try to find and punish the killers."
During Eurovision, the president and his wife Merihiban have arranged
for her son-in-law to sing on stage if front of an estimated audience
of 120million.
Mr Kenyon says Emin Agalarov will be allowed to sing there so the
ruling family, who run a "mafia state", can promote themselves.
Ingrid Deltenre, Director General of the EBU which organises
Eurovision, said: "I can't hide myself, it was amazing.
"I can't do anything about it. I've been told he's actually a
really good singer. It's something we would say 'oh is this really
necessary'. I have to admit that.
"We are going with the song contest to Azerbaijan because it is
according to the rules."
But the decision to expose and attack Eurovision has come under fire
from UK entrant Engelbert Humperdinck, who claims he was "ambushed"
by Panorama to take part in the show.
BBC journalists decided to confront Humperdinck to ask him why he
was taking part and what his views were on human rights in the country.
The singer remained calm and smiling as he was approached by Mr Kenyon
but his entourage, including BBC staff, were furious.
The scene will be shown on tomorrow night's programme despite pleas
from other parts of the BBC not to do so.
In an angry exchange of emails, Chris Hewlett, Humperdinck's agent,
told Mr Kenyon: "I wanted to drop you an email and just make very
clear how surprised and disappointed we all were that Panorama felt it
appropriate to ambush Engelbert Humperdinck on BBC property in order
to force a reaction from him, without even giving him the courtesy
of time to frame his thoughts.
"As you know, Eurovision is a BBC show, and he was invited by the
BBC to participate, and we feel that these actions by another BBC
team were at best ill-judged."
But a Panorama spokesman said: "We're satisfied that we've acted
fairly and followed our editorial guidelines."
AZERBAIJAN FILE Gained independence in 1991. Oil rich nation of nine
million people built EUR134million Crystal Hall, left, in capital
Baku for Eurovision contest