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POLICE IN AZERBAIJAN ARREST PROTESTERS AT EUROVISION RALLY
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/26/world/europe/azerbaijani-police-arrest-protesters-at-eurovision-rally.html
May 25 2012
BAKU, Azerbaijan - About 50 antigovernment demonstrators were arrested
Friday evening in Baku while trying to stage a flash rally in the
city center, as opponents of President Ilham Aliyev sought to use
the Eurovision Song Contest to draw international attention to human
rights abuses.
The Eurovision finale will be held in Baku on Saturday night, and a
dress rehearsal was under way when plainclothes police officers began
arresting protesters. The demonstrators said they were demanding the
release of political prisoners. It was the third time this week that
the police arrested protesters hoping to take advantage of the buzz
around the Eurovision contest.
International human rights organizations say that the Aliyev government
routinely suppresses political opponents and free speech.
The attempted rally on Friday was led by the youth branch of the
Popular Front, an opposition party. It began roughly an hour after
about 70 pro-government demonstrators staged their own action outside
the home of the Popular Front leader, Ali Kerimli. The police did
not interfere with that rally.
"In our country, there is no freedom of assembly," Mr. Kerimli said
in a telephone interview. "Only one place is free for demonstrations,
that is in front of my house. They can always organize their rally
without a problem."The pro-government demonstrators accused Mr.
Kerimli of being a traitor and demanded that he leave the country. In
the interview, Mr. Kerimli said he could not leave Azerbaijan because
the government had refused for seven years to issue him a passport.
Government opponents in Azerbaijan have sought to use the huge
public attention focused on Baku for the Eurovision contest, an
event that draws 125 million television viewers, to put a spotlight
on abuse cases. The authorities say the complaints by opponents and
international watchdog groups are exaggerated, but acknowledge that
the country has a history of responding roughly to dissent.
Security around the Eurovision contest has been extraordinarily
tight, with every ticket matched to an attendee's passport or other
identification number.
Organizers of Eurovision, who have been under pressure to condemn
abuses in Azerbaijan, say the annual competition is a cultural event
and should not be complicated by politics.
On Thursday, adding to the pressure, the European Parliament issued
a strongly worded resolution demanding that Azerbaijan institute
widespread reforms and release political prisoners. The resolution
also condemned the arrests of protesters who held a demonstration in
downtown Baku on Monday as many international guests began arriving
for the Eurovision festivities.
The resolution called on the government "to immediately stop all
actions aimed at suppressing the freedom of expression and assembly"
and "to allow peaceful protests and to prohibit police interference
in the work of journalists covering demonstrations." The resolution
also urged Azerbaijan "to step up its efforts to reform all aspects
of the judicial system: prosecution, trial, sentencing, detention
and appeals."
The government of Azerbaijan said it planned to formally protest
the resolution.
In a separate development, the European Broadcasting Union, which
organizes the Eurovision contest, warned neighboring Armenia that
it would face fines and possibly a ban from participation in the
competition next year if it did not broadcast the full event on
Saturday night.
Armenia and Azerbaijan are longtime enemies because of a dispute
over the contested territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Armenia had
threatened not to broadcast the event or show the performance by
Azerbaijan's contestant, Sabina Babayeva.
A spokeswoman for the broadcast union, Annika Nyberg Frankenhaeuser,
said any such action would have consequences.
From: Baghdasarian
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/26/world/europe/azerbaijani-police-arrest-protesters-at-eurovision-rally.html
May 25 2012
BAKU, Azerbaijan - About 50 antigovernment demonstrators were arrested
Friday evening in Baku while trying to stage a flash rally in the
city center, as opponents of President Ilham Aliyev sought to use
the Eurovision Song Contest to draw international attention to human
rights abuses.
The Eurovision finale will be held in Baku on Saturday night, and a
dress rehearsal was under way when plainclothes police officers began
arresting protesters. The demonstrators said they were demanding the
release of political prisoners. It was the third time this week that
the police arrested protesters hoping to take advantage of the buzz
around the Eurovision contest.
International human rights organizations say that the Aliyev government
routinely suppresses political opponents and free speech.
The attempted rally on Friday was led by the youth branch of the
Popular Front, an opposition party. It began roughly an hour after
about 70 pro-government demonstrators staged their own action outside
the home of the Popular Front leader, Ali Kerimli. The police did
not interfere with that rally.
"In our country, there is no freedom of assembly," Mr. Kerimli said
in a telephone interview. "Only one place is free for demonstrations,
that is in front of my house. They can always organize their rally
without a problem."The pro-government demonstrators accused Mr.
Kerimli of being a traitor and demanded that he leave the country. In
the interview, Mr. Kerimli said he could not leave Azerbaijan because
the government had refused for seven years to issue him a passport.
Government opponents in Azerbaijan have sought to use the huge
public attention focused on Baku for the Eurovision contest, an
event that draws 125 million television viewers, to put a spotlight
on abuse cases. The authorities say the complaints by opponents and
international watchdog groups are exaggerated, but acknowledge that
the country has a history of responding roughly to dissent.
Security around the Eurovision contest has been extraordinarily
tight, with every ticket matched to an attendee's passport or other
identification number.
Organizers of Eurovision, who have been under pressure to condemn
abuses in Azerbaijan, say the annual competition is a cultural event
and should not be complicated by politics.
On Thursday, adding to the pressure, the European Parliament issued
a strongly worded resolution demanding that Azerbaijan institute
widespread reforms and release political prisoners. The resolution
also condemned the arrests of protesters who held a demonstration in
downtown Baku on Monday as many international guests began arriving
for the Eurovision festivities.
The resolution called on the government "to immediately stop all
actions aimed at suppressing the freedom of expression and assembly"
and "to allow peaceful protests and to prohibit police interference
in the work of journalists covering demonstrations." The resolution
also urged Azerbaijan "to step up its efforts to reform all aspects
of the judicial system: prosecution, trial, sentencing, detention
and appeals."
The government of Azerbaijan said it planned to formally protest
the resolution.
In a separate development, the European Broadcasting Union, which
organizes the Eurovision contest, warned neighboring Armenia that
it would face fines and possibly a ban from participation in the
competition next year if it did not broadcast the full event on
Saturday night.
Armenia and Azerbaijan are longtime enemies because of a dispute
over the contested territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and Armenia had
threatened not to broadcast the event or show the performance by
Azerbaijan's contestant, Sabina Babayeva.
A spokeswoman for the broadcast union, Annika Nyberg Frankenhaeuser,
said any such action would have consequences.
From: Baghdasarian