This article forms part of the OnEurope archive and was originally published on oneurope.co.uk. It has been permanently migrated to oneurope.net, the official home of OnEurope.
Well, what an exciting couple of days that’s been – and all away from the contest itself.
This morning, Monday 21 May 2012, I managed to walk into a major political protest in central Baku. Activists from Azerbaijan’s opposition Public Chamber had gathered near the Nizami Museum of Literature and tried to march towards the mayor’s office, protesting restrictions on public assembly and drawing attention to alleged human-rights abuses. Police blocked the march, with contemporary reports saying that demonstrators were beaten and arrested.
The protest was part of the wider Sing for Democracy campaign, which was using the international attention brought to Azerbaijan by Eurovision to highlight political repression, restrictions on free expression and alleged forced evictions linked to redevelopment in Baku. The country was, after all, preparing to host the 2012 contest at the newly built Baku Crystal Hall later this week.
Yesterday I attended a slightly legal underground rock show – apparently a benefit and protest concert associated with Sing for Democracy, at the Marshalls venue in central Baku, with several Azerbaijani bands playing against human-rights abuses and state coercion. Quite what “slightly legal” means in this context, I’m not entirely sure, but it was certainly not your standard Eurovision warm-up event. Human-rights campaigner Leyla Yunus was also reported to be there, arguing that the Eurovision spotlight had not stopped arrests of government critics and saying that campaign organisers had faced pressure.
I’ve already posted up a story for the day job, and boring contractual reasons mean that I can’t post it here directly, but if you want a squizz at it, go see here…
Just don’t tell anyone you know it’s me (cos I’m supposed to be secret. Shhhhhh)…
