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THE GUARDIAN: LIFE IN AZERBAIJAN IS AS GRIM AS EVER
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 25, 2012 - 17:23 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - This year's host city, Baku, has had a makeover but
journalists and activists say that under the surface, life is as grim
as ever, an article in the Guardian says.
Azerbaijan's hosting of the Eurovision song contest has thrust the
oil-rich country into the international spotlight.
The very nature of Eurovision, a kitschy pop spectacle in which
competitors representing about 40 countries (of which 26 reach the
final) perform a song live on television, is in stark contrast to
the grim reality of life in Azerbaijan.
The government has poured millions into the capital, Baku, turning it
into a sort of European capital on the Caspian, with grand, illuminated
buildings, a tree-lined boardwalk, and even a fleet of London-style
cabs to ferry visitors around. Yet beneath its marbled exterior,
and just outside the city limits, a different vision emerges - one
where journalists are routinely threatened, human rights activists
pressured and protesters and bloggers who dare to challenge Aliyev
put behind bars, the Guardian says.
According to Amnesty, 16 political prisoners remain behind bars in
Azerbaijan. Reporters Without Borders ranks the country near the
bottom of its press freedom index, noting the continuing imprisonment
of five journalists and one blogger, and the unsolved murder last
year of a prominent journalist, Rafig Tagi.
Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan since 2003, inheriting the mantle from
his father, Heydar Aliyev, who died months after giving up power.
The elder Aliyev has since become the subject of a state-sponsored
personality cult, lending his name to museums and streets. The airport
is named after him, as is an enormous new cultural centre designed by
Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. Posters bearing his image compete
with adverts for Burberry and Chanel on Baku's spotless boulevards.
There are at least three statues of the late leader in Baku, and
dozens around the country.
His son and daughter-in-law, along with their two daughters, have
been accused by journalists and activists of ruling the country's
politics and economy like a personal fiefdom. A U.S. diplomatic cable
written in early 2010 and leaked by WikiLeaks compared the running of
Azerbaijan to "the feudalism found in Europe during the middle ages".
The government has gone on the offensive to deny accusations of
dictatorship and corruption. "Azerbaijan is not an authoritarian
state - we want to prove this to the whole world," said Ali Hasanov,
an aide to the president. "Is Ilham Aliyev to be blamed because he
is the son of Heydar Aliyev, but got the majority of votes? Is this
not democracy?"
With all television channels and most newspapers under the control of
the state or members of the president's family, activists argue that
it is not a democracy, comparing it to an absolute monarchy instead,
The Guardian notes.
Anti-Armenian propaganda and sentiment continues to run high. During
the 2009 Eurovision, several Azeris who voted for the Armenian
contestant were called in for questioning for posing a "potential
security threat" and being "unpatriotic". Armenia is boycotting the
contest this year.
Baku city centre has been transformed into a Eurovision playground,
with posters advertising the contest adorning every bus, pay phone
and several of the city's new skyscrapers.Yet just outside the city
centre, far from the oil wealth poured into Baku, lies a land where
roads are rarely paved. In the suburb of Balakhani, just 15 miles
away, dilapidated houses painted bright pink and blue stand in stark
contrast with their corrugated roofs and grim surroundings. Children
play in the shadows of oil pumps and black pools filled with rubbish.
The sour smell of oil hangs in the air, it says.
With the Eurovision finals nearly upon them, activists find themselves
anxious of the government's reaction once the spotlight on the
country fades.
PanARMENIAN.Net
May 25, 2012 - 17:23 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - This year's host city, Baku, has had a makeover but
journalists and activists say that under the surface, life is as grim
as ever, an article in the Guardian says.
Azerbaijan's hosting of the Eurovision song contest has thrust the
oil-rich country into the international spotlight.
The very nature of Eurovision, a kitschy pop spectacle in which
competitors representing about 40 countries (of which 26 reach the
final) perform a song live on television, is in stark contrast to
the grim reality of life in Azerbaijan.
The government has poured millions into the capital, Baku, turning it
into a sort of European capital on the Caspian, with grand, illuminated
buildings, a tree-lined boardwalk, and even a fleet of London-style
cabs to ferry visitors around. Yet beneath its marbled exterior,
and just outside the city limits, a different vision emerges - one
where journalists are routinely threatened, human rights activists
pressured and protesters and bloggers who dare to challenge Aliyev
put behind bars, the Guardian says.
According to Amnesty, 16 political prisoners remain behind bars in
Azerbaijan. Reporters Without Borders ranks the country near the
bottom of its press freedom index, noting the continuing imprisonment
of five journalists and one blogger, and the unsolved murder last
year of a prominent journalist, Rafig Tagi.
Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan since 2003, inheriting the mantle from
his father, Heydar Aliyev, who died months after giving up power.
The elder Aliyev has since become the subject of a state-sponsored
personality cult, lending his name to museums and streets. The airport
is named after him, as is an enormous new cultural centre designed by
Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. Posters bearing his image compete
with adverts for Burberry and Chanel on Baku's spotless boulevards.
There are at least three statues of the late leader in Baku, and
dozens around the country.
His son and daughter-in-law, along with their two daughters, have
been accused by journalists and activists of ruling the country's
politics and economy like a personal fiefdom. A U.S. diplomatic cable
written in early 2010 and leaked by WikiLeaks compared the running of
Azerbaijan to "the feudalism found in Europe during the middle ages".
The government has gone on the offensive to deny accusations of
dictatorship and corruption. "Azerbaijan is not an authoritarian
state - we want to prove this to the whole world," said Ali Hasanov,
an aide to the president. "Is Ilham Aliyev to be blamed because he
is the son of Heydar Aliyev, but got the majority of votes? Is this
not democracy?"
With all television channels and most newspapers under the control of
the state or members of the president's family, activists argue that
it is not a democracy, comparing it to an absolute monarchy instead,
The Guardian notes.
Anti-Armenian propaganda and sentiment continues to run high. During
the 2009 Eurovision, several Azeris who voted for the Armenian
contestant were called in for questioning for posing a "potential
security threat" and being "unpatriotic". Armenia is boycotting the
contest this year.
Baku city centre has been transformed into a Eurovision playground,
with posters advertising the contest adorning every bus, pay phone
and several of the city's new skyscrapers.Yet just outside the city
centre, far from the oil wealth poured into Baku, lies a land where
roads are rarely paved. In the suburb of Balakhani, just 15 miles
away, dilapidated houses painted bright pink and blue stand in stark
contrast with their corrugated roofs and grim surroundings. Children
play in the shadows of oil pumps and black pools filled with rubbish.
The sour smell of oil hangs in the air, it says.
With the Eurovision finals nearly upon them, activists find themselves
anxious of the government's reaction once the spotlight on the
country fades.