POLICE QUESTION AZERBAIJAN CITIZENS OVER "UNPATRIOTIC" SONG VOTING
AllGov
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Inga and Anush, Armenian sisters Citizens in Azerbaijan who voted
in the Eurovision Song Contest (Europe’s version of American Idol,
only much bigger and much older) for an act from Armenia found
themselves being interrogated by Azerbaijan’s police for being
disloyal. Approximately 40 Azeris gave their votes to Inga and Anush
of Armenia, including Rovshan Nasirli, who was summoned to the National
Security Ministry to explain his unpatriotic behavior.
"They wanted an explanation for why I voted for Armenia. They
said it was a matter of national security," Nasirli told Radio Free
Europe. "They were trying to put psychological pressure on me, saying
things like, ‘You have no sense of ethnic pride. How come you voted
for Armenia?’ They made me write out an explanation, and then they
let me go."
Azerbaijan and Armenia have had longstanding disputes over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region, a predominantly Armenian enclave located
within Azerbaijani territory.
The harassment by police wasn’t the only controversy that arose
for Azeris who watched the Eurovision Song Contest, which drew an
audience of 122 million (compared with American Idol’s 29 million in
the U.S.). Some Azeris were unhappy with their country’s entry into
the contest-the Iranian-born pop star Arash who lives in Sweden, and
was partnered with a relatively young and unknown Azerbaijani singer,
AySel. To make matters worse, Aysel and Arash took third place in the
contest, even though an audit of the voting afterwards revealed they
finished second in the televoting by fans.