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 Touching on a song festival watched around the world, Reuters alerts the government has trampled on people's rights in razing homes for the country's big night.

“Azerbaijan's president has built a glittering "Crystal Hall" to host a song festival watched around the world, but critics say the government has trampled on people's rights in razing homes for the country's big night in the spotlight,” reads the story.

"The Azerbaijani government is not just demolishing homes, it's destroying people's lives," said Jane Buchanan, senior Europe and Central Asia researcher for New York-based Human Rights Watch, an international rights watchdog. "Eurovision gives the government an opportunity to showcase Baku to thousands of visitors and millions of television viewers," she said. "But instead, Azerbaijan's government is showcasing its disregard for human rights by forcing people from their homes steps away from the contest site."

Armenia's Public Television pulled out of the contest this month. It said that despite security guarantees by the Azeri authorities, Aliyev had described his country's neighbour as enemy number one.