EBU INVESTIGATES FACTS OF INTERROGATION OF AZERBAIJANIS VOTED FOR ARMENIA IN EUROVISION

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.08.2009 21:32 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Last week the Azeri press disseminated information
that the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan interrogated
43 citizens voted in favor of the Armenian singers Inga and Anush
Arshakyan at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009. In this regard, the
European Broadcasting Union EBU started their own investigation of
these cases.

As Diana Mnatsakanyan , adviser to Executive Director of Armenia’s
Public TV told a PanARMEINIAN.Net reporter, in order to know the
phone numbers of voters, there must be an official document issued
with the permission of EMU and the Digame company, responsible for
counting the votes. Permission to declassify the numbers of citizens
participated in voting may be given in case of criminal proceedings
against these people.

"Action of the Azerbaijani Government are ridiculous. 1065 mobile
text messages from Armenia were sent in favor of Azeri singer’s song
and no one went as far as to call KGB," Diana Mnatsakanyan said.

Diana Mantsakanyan yesterday sent a letter to European Broadcasting
Union with a request to inform whether the Azeri side has provided
any official document to request declassification of phone numbers
of Azerbaijani citizens, voted in favor of Armenia.

In her letter, Diana Mnatsakanian also asked the EMU representatives,
to say whether this situation means that Armenia will never get votes
from Azerbaijan due to intervention of Azerbaijani state agencies in
the song contest and whether the voting has turned to be unfair?

The adviser to the executive Director of the Armenia’s Public TV
received a reply from European Broadcasting Union, saying that
the executive head of the Eurovision contest Svantes Stokcelius is
engaged in investigating the incident, and they cannot comment until
its completion.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress