EUROVISION HOSTS ARE TOP OF THE CHARTS FOR REPRESSION
Socialist Party
May 23 2012
UK
Clare Doyle, Committee for a Workers’ International
BBC’s Panorama investigation – ‘Eurovision’s Dirty Secret’ – looked at
the 2012 host country Azerbaijan. It revealed the depths to which its
ruling regime, based on massive oil wealth, will go in trying to crush
any resistance and opposition to its dictatorial power. It should get
‘nil points’ for its human rights record!
Since a coup in 1992 the country has been run by the Aliyev family
– first Heydar, followed by his son Ilham who, in 2009, won the
presidency for life with a 90% referendum vote!
Ilham’s daughters own multi-million dollar business dealing in things
like telephone networks and gold-mining. Through a Panama-registered
company his 15 year-old son has a major interest in a luxury hotel
in Baku and a $40 million stake in in the prestigious ‘Dubai Palm’.
Millions of dollars were spent on the hasty construction of a ‘Crystal
Hall’ on the banks of the Caspian Sea for the Eurovision Song Contest
final which has more viewers than any other non-sporting event in
the world.
As undercover journalist, Paul Kenyon, showed, the slightest criticism
of the regime can be punishable by years in prison. Journalists are
followed, beaten up, imprisoned and sometimes killed. There are at
least 70 political prisoners, although the regime denies there are any.
The ‘parliament’ has not one opposition MP. The Azerbaijan Popular
Front party had its headquarters closed by the state. Its leader, Ali
Karimli, is under 24-hour surveillance and its members are constantly
harassed and persecuted.
Protests are brutally attacked. Homes are bulldozed while people
still live in them to make way for prestige building projects like
those for the Eurovision festivities.
The programme challenged past and present Eurovision organisers and
participants – including Sandie Shaw and Engelbert Humperdinck –
about the competition’s host country. They appeared to believe it
had nothing to do with them!
The singer for Azerbaijan’s entry is Aliyev’s son-in-law. His wife – an
MP with a claimed 94% vote – chairs the country’s Eurovision committee!
Armenia, Azerbaijan’s ‘long-time enemy’, will not be participating in
the contest this year. In 2009, Azerbaijani TV suddenly went blank
during the Armenian team’s entry! Kenyon interviewed an Azerbaijani
who, after voting for Armenia, was taken in for interrogation.
A popular singer, Jamal, was imprisoned and tortured for insulting
Aliyev. Now he has been ordered to get out of the country before the
contest begins.
In its own words, the BBC’s Panorama has “pulled back the curtain”
on the Aliyev dictatorship. On 28 May, Panorama turns its attention
to the anti-Semitism, racism and attacks on foreigners in Poland and
Ukraine, hosts to the Euro 2012 football tournament.