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EUROVISION: PR PITFALL AND CHANCE FOR AZERBAIJAN
Agence France Presse
May 23, 2012 Wednesday 2:07 AM GMT
Eurovision song contest hopefuls pranced and posed their way through
rehearsals at Baku's Crystal Hall this week, while on nearby streets
Azerbaijani police were seizing protesters.
Raw video images of the break-up of an illegal opposition rally
vied for viewers online with slick official footage of competitors
like Russian grannies Buranovskiye Babushki and Irish twins Jedward,
perfecting their onstage moves ahead of the glitzy pop event.
The Azerbaijani authorities had hoped that hosting Eurovision would
boost the energy-rich ex-Soviet state's image, but it has attracted
publicity over allegations of human rights abuses which threaten a
potential PR disaster.
"This is part of a broader diplomatic charm offensive to put Azerbaijan
on the map, but if you get a lot of attention, you are also much more
open to criticism," said Lawrence Sheets, Caucasus project director
at the International Crisis Group think-tank.
International media have given unprecedented coverage in recent weeks
to Azerbaijani campaigners who allege that President Ilham Aliyev
heads an authoritarian regime which is trying to crush dissent and
silence free speech.
"The Azerbaijani authorities' fake positive PR campaign has not
worked," said Rasul Jafarov of Sing For Democracy, a local group
founded to use Eurovision to highlight alleged abuses.
But furious officials have increasingly been striking back against
negative reports, accusing foreign journalists and organisations
like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of conducting a
"slanderous campaign" against them.
"The provocative anti-Azerbaijani reports have been deliberately
invented," Ali Hasanov, a senior official of the presidential
administration, said this week.
"Political pluralism and human rights are fully ensured in Azerbaijan,"
he insisted.
An editorial published by Baku news agency Trend suggested the country
should actually be praised as a secular Muslim state and a strategic
Western ally in the "fight against terrorism", whose huge Caspian
Sea oil and gas reserves can help ensure energy security for Europe.
"Azerbaijan is a country about which unfortunately very few people
speak truthfully in the West," the editorial complained.
After political turmoil and war with neighbour Armenia in the 1990s,
Azerbaijan's energy-fuelled economy has boomed since Aliyev came to
power in 2003, succeeding his father Heydar, an ex-KGB officer and
communist-era boss.
Aliyev was re-elected by a landslide in 2008 and a referendum victory
the following year abolished a two-term presidential limit, offering
him the possibility of ruling the Caucasus state of 9.2 million people
far into the future.
Pipelines pumping oil and gas to Europe are likely to maintain the
strategic importance of the mainly Muslim country whose government
has also allowed it to become a key transit route for supplying the
NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.
Eurovision is the most prestigious cultural event in the country
since independence from the Soviet Union.
In the weeks running up to what organisers promise will be a
spectacular show at the glittering new Crystal Hall on the Caspian
Sea shore, promotional posters have been plastered all over Baku and
London-style taxis decorated with Eurovision logos have appeared on
the streets.
"Azerbaijan is now coming out into the world as a developed country
that wants to live on the basis of European values," said Aydin
Mirzazadze, a lawmaker from Aliyev's governing New Azerbaijan party.
But as excitement has grown, reports about alleged rights violations
have also increased.
Stories of a top Azerbaijani reporter being blackmailed with a covertly
filmed sex tape to stop her investigations into the Aliyev family's
businesses, and another campaigning journalist being beaten unconscious
by state oil company security guards have received widespread coverage.
Human Rights Watch alleges that six journalists, one blogger, two
human rights advocates and at least 10 opposition protesters are
currently in jail in Azerbaijan for political reasons.
But it is unclear if the current upsurge of campaigning activity
will have any longer-term impact, with analysts expressing doubts
that there is enough pressure for reform.
"The government does care about its image but there is relatively
little international leverage because it is awash with money and can
to an extent ignore foreign criticism," said Sheets.
"It's hard to see that this will result in major policy changes,"
he said.
Agence France Presse
May 23, 2012 Wednesday 2:07 AM GMT
Eurovision song contest hopefuls pranced and posed their way through
rehearsals at Baku's Crystal Hall this week, while on nearby streets
Azerbaijani police were seizing protesters.
Raw video images of the break-up of an illegal opposition rally
vied for viewers online with slick official footage of competitors
like Russian grannies Buranovskiye Babushki and Irish twins Jedward,
perfecting their onstage moves ahead of the glitzy pop event.
The Azerbaijani authorities had hoped that hosting Eurovision would
boost the energy-rich ex-Soviet state's image, but it has attracted
publicity over allegations of human rights abuses which threaten a
potential PR disaster.
"This is part of a broader diplomatic charm offensive to put Azerbaijan
on the map, but if you get a lot of attention, you are also much more
open to criticism," said Lawrence Sheets, Caucasus project director
at the International Crisis Group think-tank.
International media have given unprecedented coverage in recent weeks
to Azerbaijani campaigners who allege that President Ilham Aliyev
heads an authoritarian regime which is trying to crush dissent and
silence free speech.
"The Azerbaijani authorities' fake positive PR campaign has not
worked," said Rasul Jafarov of Sing For Democracy, a local group
founded to use Eurovision to highlight alleged abuses.
But furious officials have increasingly been striking back against
negative reports, accusing foreign journalists and organisations
like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of conducting a
"slanderous campaign" against them.
"The provocative anti-Azerbaijani reports have been deliberately
invented," Ali Hasanov, a senior official of the presidential
administration, said this week.
"Political pluralism and human rights are fully ensured in Azerbaijan,"
he insisted.
An editorial published by Baku news agency Trend suggested the country
should actually be praised as a secular Muslim state and a strategic
Western ally in the "fight against terrorism", whose huge Caspian
Sea oil and gas reserves can help ensure energy security for Europe.
"Azerbaijan is a country about which unfortunately very few people
speak truthfully in the West," the editorial complained.
After political turmoil and war with neighbour Armenia in the 1990s,
Azerbaijan's energy-fuelled economy has boomed since Aliyev came to
power in 2003, succeeding his father Heydar, an ex-KGB officer and
communist-era boss.
Aliyev was re-elected by a landslide in 2008 and a referendum victory
the following year abolished a two-term presidential limit, offering
him the possibility of ruling the Caucasus state of 9.2 million people
far into the future.
Pipelines pumping oil and gas to Europe are likely to maintain the
strategic importance of the mainly Muslim country whose government
has also allowed it to become a key transit route for supplying the
NATO-led mission in Afghanistan.
Eurovision is the most prestigious cultural event in the country
since independence from the Soviet Union.
In the weeks running up to what organisers promise will be a
spectacular show at the glittering new Crystal Hall on the Caspian
Sea shore, promotional posters have been plastered all over Baku and
London-style taxis decorated with Eurovision logos have appeared on
the streets.
"Azerbaijan is now coming out into the world as a developed country
that wants to live on the basis of European values," said Aydin
Mirzazadze, a lawmaker from Aliyev's governing New Azerbaijan party.
But as excitement has grown, reports about alleged rights violations
have also increased.
Stories of a top Azerbaijani reporter being blackmailed with a covertly
filmed sex tape to stop her investigations into the Aliyev family's
businesses, and another campaigning journalist being beaten unconscious
by state oil company security guards have received widespread coverage.
Human Rights Watch alleges that six journalists, one blogger, two
human rights advocates and at least 10 opposition protesters are
currently in jail in Azerbaijan for political reasons.
But it is unclear if the current upsurge of campaigning activity
will have any longer-term impact, with analysts expressing doubts
that there is enough pressure for reform.
"The government does care about its image but there is relatively
little international leverage because it is awash with money and can
to an extent ignore foreign criticism," said Sheets.
"It's hard to see that this will result in major policy changes,"
he said.