Baku Readies Itself For Eurovision By Torturing Musicians

BAKU READIES ITSELF FOR EUROVISION BY TORTURING MUSICIANS

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 22, 2012 – 14:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Fresh doubts have been raised about the suitability
of Azerbaijan to host May’s Eurovision Song Contest, as it emerged
that two local musicians who insulted the country’s president during
a concert may have been tortured by police over recent days, Belfast
Telegraph reported.

The problems began when Jamal Ali, 24-year-old frontman of the band
Bulustan, criticized President Ilham Aliyev and his late mother during
a concert at an opposition rally on Saturday, March 18 in the capital,
Baku. After an argument with the organizers, he was dragged away by
police along with Natiq Kamilov, another band member, and a third man.

A court charged the three men with hooliganism and sentenced them to
10 days in detention. During the hearing the two men said they had
been beaten by police, and were refused contact with their families
or lawyers.

Amnesty International called on the Azerbaijani authorities to
launch an independent investigation. “It’s deeply ironic that
only two months before Baku takes the world stage for Eurovision,
Azerbaijani authorities are using force to break up and silence
musicians performing at a peaceful protest on the city’s streets,”
said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty’s Director for Europe and Central Asia.

Azerbaijan sees the song contest as an opportunity to showcase the
economic growth of the country, and has poured millions into ensuring
the event goes smoothly.

However, as the contest approaches, the arrest of the musicians is
just the latest worrying sign of the heavy-handed way in which Mr
Aliyev’s autocratic regime deals with dissent.

Earlier this month, a sex video of an opposition journalist who
claimed to have uncovered corruption in Mr Aliyev’s family appeared
online. She said she had been told to stop writing or the video
would be put online. She went public with the threat and the video
was released, the report says.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress