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SHAME OF A EUROVISION HOST: AZERBAIJAN'S SPENT MILLIONS ON THIS WEEKEND'S SONG CONTEST, HOPING TO BANISH ITS IMAGE OF A CORRUPT, TORTURING DICTATORSHIP
The Express
May 23, 2012 Wednesday
Edition 1; National Edition
DANIEL GOULD
TWO months ago a 24-year-old rapper called Jamal Ali performed at an
opposition rally in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The focus of the
rally was corruption and political prisoners but Ali upped the ante
by insulting the president's late mother. After that he was dragged
away by police. He claims he was tortured for two days and his home
was demolished. He has since fled the country.
We'd probably never know of his plight were it not for the 57th annual
Eurovision Song Contest which is taking place in Baku all this week.
Culminating in a final on Saturday watched by an estimated 125
million people, the competition is seen in Britain as an elaborate
joke which you either laugh with or at. But there is nothing funny
about Azerbaijan's abysmal human rights record.
"It's deeply ironic that so soon before Baku takes the world stage
for Eurovision, Azerbaijani authorities were using force to break up
and silence musicians performing at a peaceful protest on the city's
streets," says John Dalhuisen of Amnesty, which has called for the
immediate release of 17 political prisoners. "When viewers tune in
for the contest the most convincing way for Azerbaijan to present
itself as a modern, progressive nation will be for the authorities
to end their ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression."
Located at the ancient crossroads of Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan is
a nation of nine million people bordered by the Caspian Sea, Russia,
Georgia, Armenia and Iran. It supplied almost half the world's oil at
the start of the 20th century. It was the first modern parliamentary
republic in the Muslim world but was incorporated into the Soviet
Union in 1920. It only regained independence after the collapse of
the Eastern Bloc in 1991.
>From the late Sixties it was run by Soviet strongman Heydar Aliyev.
Shortly after independence he rose to power once more and ruled as
president until six weeks before his death in 2003. Power then passed
to his son Ilham who won an election with 76 per cent of the vote,
prompting allegations of rigging. His friends include Prince Andrew,
who has been goose shooting with him, and Tony Blair, who earned tens
of thousands of pounds for a speech praising him. But more often he
is accused of cronyism, corruption and authoritarianism.
He and his family have embraced Eurovision with enthusiasm. His wife
Mehriban is the head of the preparation committee and his son-in-law
Emin Agalarov, a would-be pop star, will perform during Saturday's
interlude. There are allegations that the Aliyev family has benefited
financially from the construction of the Crystal Hall, a 25,000-seat
concert venue where the spectacular will take place.
Some 281 families are said to have been evicted from their homes to
make way for its construction, without adequate compensation. These
evictions follow the demolition of an estimated 4,000 other houses
razed as the country's mineral revenues (it has a huge offshore gas
field as well as oil reserves) are spent on construction.
Eurovision fans arriving in Baku this week have been trying to judge
the place for themselves. "It's actually a very grand city which I'd
describe as 'Dubai meets Istanbul'," says Daniel Gould, a professional
gambling tipster who specialises in Eurovision. "There are boulevards
framed by classical architecture that give it a Parisian feel and
there's a nice old walled city in the middle. There's obviously a lot
of money washing around and everything is beautifully manicured. You
get the impression it's the kind of dictatorship where the president
shows his prestige and power by providing a superficial gloss of
prosperity and grandeur."
He says the general consensus is that things were disorganised at
first but the final will go off well. "There are absolutely hundreds
of volunteers and security staff everywhere so they're making sure
everything will be all right on the night."
Dr Paul Jordan, a political scientist from Cardiff University, is
also a regular on the Eurovision circuit. Having completed his PhD
on the role of the contest in helping form national identity for the
newly independent countries of Eastern Europe, he knows how important
it can be to countries such as Azerbaijan.
HE SAYS: "From a security point of view the situation in Baku makes
Eurovision in Moscow three years ago look tame. There are sniffer
dogs and armed guards around the arena and there are warships on the
horizon in the Caspian Sea. I don't feel threatened but I've never
seen so many guns in a Eurovision press centre.
"For Azerbaijan, which is bidding to host the 2020 Olympics, this is a
superb opportunity. They only joined Eurovision four years ago and it's
a way of getting them on the map. But with that come some questions
that they don't want highlighted and which I think need to be."
In the face of the criticisms, the Azerbaijani authorities have hired
a senior PR consultant - Rupert Murdoch's son-in-law Matthew Freud -
to try to boost their image in Britain. They have also hit out at
claims made by Amnesty and another organisation, Human Rights Watch.
"I want to say that if these organisations continue acting in the same
way they will risk losing the Azerbaijani people's trust because the
Azerbaijani people see that the statements of these two organisations
have nothing in common with the actual situation in the country,"
said a senior government spokesman this week.
There was initially talk of calls for a boycott of the contest and
dissidents are divided as to whether it is good or bad. "It's a joke to
have Eurovision in a country with a rights record like Azerbaijan's,"
says one investigative reporter from Baku who has experieinced
government intimidation. "It would be really great to hear some kind
of message from the stage from some of the contestants to remind the
regime here that Europe is a set of values, not just a song contest."
Blogger Emin Milli, who spent two years in prison for YouTube videos
mocking the regime, is glad so many foreigners are there this week.
"Eurovision is an opportunity for the international community to
focus on what is happening in Azerbaijan," he says. Arguing that a
boycott would have been counter-productive he adds: "The best way to
understand is to come and see it."
SO WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES?
RUSSIA A group of grannies in full ethnic clothing start their
routine with some wailing next to a stove in which they are baking
pizza. A disco beat kicks in, they jump up and cry: "Party for
everybody! Dance!"
This is definitely the most memorable act.
ITALY Nina Zilli looks and sounds like Amy Winehouse and is singing
an Amy-style song. Her fashionably retro sound and the attitude she
brings to her performance mean she's one of the favourites and she
could well take the crown.
FRANCE This act looks like the French gymnastics team are warming
up for the Olympics during this number, with muscle-bound athletes
supporting pretty singer Anggun. The French do not have a good recent
record in the contest. Could this gimmick turn things around for them?
SWEDEN This is a tune you would more likely expect in a nightclub than
on the Eurovision stage. Loreen, with her hair often covering much of
her face, puts in some tai-chi and yoga moves as she sings. Snow starts
falling in the final chorus. Some viewers may find it all too weird.
UKRAINE This is the unofficial theme tune for football's European
Championships to be held in Poland and the Ukraine where singer Gaitana
is a big star. As she sings men in skirts pretend to play toy trumpets.
UNITED KINGDOM Engelbert Humperdinck, at 76 the oldest Eurovision
contestant ever, can certainly sing and his ballad isn't half bad. We
might even win.
IRELAND Jedward are singing Waterline in an attempt to improve on
the eighth place they achieved last year.
The Express
May 23, 2012 Wednesday
Edition 1; National Edition
DANIEL GOULD
TWO months ago a 24-year-old rapper called Jamal Ali performed at an
opposition rally in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. The focus of the
rally was corruption and political prisoners but Ali upped the ante
by insulting the president's late mother. After that he was dragged
away by police. He claims he was tortured for two days and his home
was demolished. He has since fled the country.
We'd probably never know of his plight were it not for the 57th annual
Eurovision Song Contest which is taking place in Baku all this week.
Culminating in a final on Saturday watched by an estimated 125
million people, the competition is seen in Britain as an elaborate
joke which you either laugh with or at. But there is nothing funny
about Azerbaijan's abysmal human rights record.
"It's deeply ironic that so soon before Baku takes the world stage
for Eurovision, Azerbaijani authorities were using force to break up
and silence musicians performing at a peaceful protest on the city's
streets," says John Dalhuisen of Amnesty, which has called for the
immediate release of 17 political prisoners. "When viewers tune in
for the contest the most convincing way for Azerbaijan to present
itself as a modern, progressive nation will be for the authorities
to end their ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression."
Located at the ancient crossroads of Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan is
a nation of nine million people bordered by the Caspian Sea, Russia,
Georgia, Armenia and Iran. It supplied almost half the world's oil at
the start of the 20th century. It was the first modern parliamentary
republic in the Muslim world but was incorporated into the Soviet
Union in 1920. It only regained independence after the collapse of
the Eastern Bloc in 1991.
>From the late Sixties it was run by Soviet strongman Heydar Aliyev.
Shortly after independence he rose to power once more and ruled as
president until six weeks before his death in 2003. Power then passed
to his son Ilham who won an election with 76 per cent of the vote,
prompting allegations of rigging. His friends include Prince Andrew,
who has been goose shooting with him, and Tony Blair, who earned tens
of thousands of pounds for a speech praising him. But more often he
is accused of cronyism, corruption and authoritarianism.
He and his family have embraced Eurovision with enthusiasm. His wife
Mehriban is the head of the preparation committee and his son-in-law
Emin Agalarov, a would-be pop star, will perform during Saturday's
interlude. There are allegations that the Aliyev family has benefited
financially from the construction of the Crystal Hall, a 25,000-seat
concert venue where the spectacular will take place.
Some 281 families are said to have been evicted from their homes to
make way for its construction, without adequate compensation. These
evictions follow the demolition of an estimated 4,000 other houses
razed as the country's mineral revenues (it has a huge offshore gas
field as well as oil reserves) are spent on construction.
Eurovision fans arriving in Baku this week have been trying to judge
the place for themselves. "It's actually a very grand city which I'd
describe as 'Dubai meets Istanbul'," says Daniel Gould, a professional
gambling tipster who specialises in Eurovision. "There are boulevards
framed by classical architecture that give it a Parisian feel and
there's a nice old walled city in the middle. There's obviously a lot
of money washing around and everything is beautifully manicured. You
get the impression it's the kind of dictatorship where the president
shows his prestige and power by providing a superficial gloss of
prosperity and grandeur."
He says the general consensus is that things were disorganised at
first but the final will go off well. "There are absolutely hundreds
of volunteers and security staff everywhere so they're making sure
everything will be all right on the night."
Dr Paul Jordan, a political scientist from Cardiff University, is
also a regular on the Eurovision circuit. Having completed his PhD
on the role of the contest in helping form national identity for the
newly independent countries of Eastern Europe, he knows how important
it can be to countries such as Azerbaijan.
HE SAYS: "From a security point of view the situation in Baku makes
Eurovision in Moscow three years ago look tame. There are sniffer
dogs and armed guards around the arena and there are warships on the
horizon in the Caspian Sea. I don't feel threatened but I've never
seen so many guns in a Eurovision press centre.
"For Azerbaijan, which is bidding to host the 2020 Olympics, this is a
superb opportunity. They only joined Eurovision four years ago and it's
a way of getting them on the map. But with that come some questions
that they don't want highlighted and which I think need to be."
In the face of the criticisms, the Azerbaijani authorities have hired
a senior PR consultant - Rupert Murdoch's son-in-law Matthew Freud -
to try to boost their image in Britain. They have also hit out at
claims made by Amnesty and another organisation, Human Rights Watch.
"I want to say that if these organisations continue acting in the same
way they will risk losing the Azerbaijani people's trust because the
Azerbaijani people see that the statements of these two organisations
have nothing in common with the actual situation in the country,"
said a senior government spokesman this week.
There was initially talk of calls for a boycott of the contest and
dissidents are divided as to whether it is good or bad. "It's a joke to
have Eurovision in a country with a rights record like Azerbaijan's,"
says one investigative reporter from Baku who has experieinced
government intimidation. "It would be really great to hear some kind
of message from the stage from some of the contestants to remind the
regime here that Europe is a set of values, not just a song contest."
Blogger Emin Milli, who spent two years in prison for YouTube videos
mocking the regime, is glad so many foreigners are there this week.
"Eurovision is an opportunity for the international community to
focus on what is happening in Azerbaijan," he says. Arguing that a
boycott would have been counter-productive he adds: "The best way to
understand is to come and see it."
SO WHO ARE THE FAVOURITES?
RUSSIA A group of grannies in full ethnic clothing start their
routine with some wailing next to a stove in which they are baking
pizza. A disco beat kicks in, they jump up and cry: "Party for
everybody! Dance!"
This is definitely the most memorable act.
ITALY Nina Zilli looks and sounds like Amy Winehouse and is singing
an Amy-style song. Her fashionably retro sound and the attitude she
brings to her performance mean she's one of the favourites and she
could well take the crown.
FRANCE This act looks like the French gymnastics team are warming
up for the Olympics during this number, with muscle-bound athletes
supporting pretty singer Anggun. The French do not have a good recent
record in the contest. Could this gimmick turn things around for them?
SWEDEN This is a tune you would more likely expect in a nightclub than
on the Eurovision stage. Loreen, with her hair often covering much of
her face, puts in some tai-chi and yoga moves as she sings. Snow starts
falling in the final chorus. Some viewers may find it all too weird.
UKRAINE This is the unofficial theme tune for football's European
Championships to be held in Poland and the Ukraine where singer Gaitana
is a big star. As she sings men in skirts pretend to play toy trumpets.
UNITED KINGDOM Engelbert Humperdinck, at 76 the oldest Eurovision
contestant ever, can certainly sing and his ballad isn't half bad. We
might even win.
IRELAND Jedward are singing Waterline in an attempt to improve on
the eighth place they achieved last year.