Baku prepares for Eurovision & it’s not pretty

27 Feb 2012

Baku prepares for Eurovision & it’s not pretty

Posted by Andrew Bell

Amid the excitement and tension of the many selection contests being held at the moment let us not get too mesmerised by all that colour and movement.

In Baku, where the ESC will be held in three short months time, there are some very disturbing things going on.

Human Rights Watch has told JoyEurovision.com that there have been forced evictions of residents in the Azerbaijan capital and they’ve been caused by preparations for this year’s contest.

HRW’s Jane Buchanan told Hikaru Freeman & Andrew Bell during a podcast interview that people had recently been forced from their homes in the neighbourhood where the 2012 ESC is to be held.

“Homes have been demolished and they’re going to build a park as an entry point into this modern stadium,” she told us.

“It is the government that’s doing this, it is the mayor’s office and the federal authorities.”

She told us that those affected were now struggling to receive fair compensation for what had happened.

Ms Buchanan is in Baku to observe the situation on the ground three months out from the highest profile event ever held on Azerbaijani soil.

She said the evictions mirrored similar occurrences before the Beijing Olympics.

“It is something we are seeing in locations holding mega events,” Ms Buchanan said.

The HRW has contacted the ESC organiser, the European Broadcasting Union, about the evictions as well as other issues pertaining to human rights in Azerbaijan.

In the podcast interview Ms Buchanan said the ESC can have a lasting legacy as it will thrust Azerbaijan into the international spotlight and force it to rectify human rights abuses.

She said she will meet with gay and lesbian groups later this week to discuss their views on the ESC.

Eurovision is widely regarded as one of the world’s most gay-friendly events.

Listen to the entire interview with Jane Buchanan of Human Rights Watch

We shall be talking with Jane again about the situation in Baku.

Azerbaijan’s moment in the sun may not be as bright as we would wish.