Society 12:53 13/06/2015

The Guardian: Poor and isolated rural areas come into sharp contrast with Baku embellished ahead of Euro-Games

Azerbaijan’s government wants to boost its reputation with the European Games, but they must not be allowed to lend credibility to an administration which has no regard for free speech, Idrak Abbasov, Azerbaijani journalist, writes for The Guardian.

“This week, my country, Azerbaijan, plays host to the biggest international event it has staged to date: the European Games. More will follow. Azerbaijan is scheduled to host the European Grand Prix in 2016, and two matches in the 2020 European Football Championship. These are the kind of big occasions any journalist would like to be part of. Unfortunately, I am unlikely to be able to cover any of these events. My own efforts to practise journalism in Azerbaijan have left me beaten, bruised, and eventually exiled,” writes Abbasov who spent most of his professional life reporting on human rights abuses and corruption in Azerbaijan.

With the Games, the European Olympic Committees have lent credibility to a corrupt regime that regards anyone who practices the rights of free speech and free assembly as an enemy to be crushed, Abbasov points.

In another publication, The Guardian writes that British Petroleum, the “official oil and gas partner” to the European Games, is as aware as anyone of the poor public image of the regime in Azerbaijan. The former Soviet republic holds a lot of oil and gas but equally is a place where BP has freedom to undertake projects that might be much more difficult to do elsewhere.

In a new book, All that glitters: Sport, BP and Repression in Azerbaijan, the authors, Emma Hughes and James Marriott point that after a drilling accident in the Caspian the company can maintain the support of the president. “Keeping Ilham Aliyev happy provides BP with a stable partner that is willing to prioritise fossil fuel extraction over any environmental considerations, social concerns or democratic mandates,” claims Hughes, who was refused entry to Baku earlier this week.

The Guardian has also posted the shots photographer Tomer Ifrah captured during his journey through Azerbaijan. They show that while £6.5bn (about $10 bn) is said to have been spent transforming the capital city for the European Games, rural villages remain steeped in ancient Azerbaijani tradition.

The photographer’s journey through Azerbaijan began in 2013: “We started with a few days in the capital city Baku, located on the oil-rich Caspian Sea. But the cosmopolitan city is a far cry from its countryside landscape, home to many isolated rural communities,” Ifrah recalls.

On their way to the Caucasian mountains they passed through the city of Quba and arrived in Khinalig which is home to about 2,000 people: ‘Being so remote the people depend almost entirely on themselves for their livelihoods,’ Ifrah says.

What the photographer saw in Azerbaijan confounded his expectations, especially in the rural areas of the country. People live in poverty, and follow ancient traditions, he says. It is a stark contrast to the capital, where the authoritarian president Ilham Alyev is said to have invested a total of £6.5bn in sports venues and infrastructure.

Ifrah points that Azerbaijan is still forming a new and independent national identity. “But as the government constructs an elaborate and glittering facade for international visitors, the detention and imprisonment of human rights activists and journalists paints a very different portrait of the country,” he stresses.

Related:

British journalist is deported from Baku and Amnesty International is denied entry to Azerbaijan 

Foreign journalists and human rights defenders barred from entry to Azerbaijan to take part in European Games 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

13:06
Magnitude 4․3 quake hits Azerbaijan, felt in Armenia
A magnitude 4․3 earthquake struck Azerbaijan on Saturday afternoon. The quake was recorded 42 km northeast of the town of Goris in...
12:35
Opposition MP slams Pashinyan's Western Armenia remarks
Opposition Hayastan faction MP Levon Kocharyan has blasted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's remarks on Western Armenia and Baku’s fake...
12:00
MP Hovik Aghazaryan says decided on his parliament seat
MP Hovik Aghazaryan of Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party has made a decision on his parliament seat. The deputy has told the media...
11:36
US lawmakers request classified briefing on Turkey’s ties to Hamas
More than three dozen Democratic and Republican lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to offer a classified briefing on...
11:15
Armenia's Mushegh Mkrtchyan wins bronze at World Military Wrestling Championships
Armenian serviceman Mushegh Mkrtchyan (92 kg) has clinched a bronze medal at the 37th CISM World Military Wrestling Championships in Yerevan,...
11:00
Switzerland bans exports to Polish firm after Swiss-made ammunition ends up in Ukraine
The Swiss government said Friday it is barring exports to a Polish military hardware supplier after concluding that some 645,000 rounds of...
17:12
Armenia to face Georgia in Nations League play-off
The 2024/25 UEFA Nations League knockout stage and play-off ties have been confirmed following the draw in Nyon, Switzerland on Friday....
16:36
Hayk Marutyan agrees to debate with Tigran Avinyan
New Power party leader Hayk Marutyan has agreed to a TV debate with incumbent Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan. Marutyan, a former Yerevan...
15:45
Opposition politician: Pashinyan leading Armenia to 'final collapse'
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s administration is leading Armenia to the “final collapse” and Turkification, opposition...
15:05
Caretaker deputy justice minister sacked
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has signed a decree to dismiss Armenuhi Harutyunyan as Acting Deputy Minister of Justice....
14:35
Armenian parliament speaker confirms MP's resignation
National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan has issued a statement on the resignation of Narek Zeynalyan as an MP from Armenia’s ruling Civil...
14:06
Visa restricts media access to key event in Yerevan
Visa has restricted the media access to the Cashless Forum 2024 to be held in Yerevan for the first time on November 22. Only...
13:36
Orban says he will invite Netanyahu to Hungary after ICC warrant
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit Hungary, saying he would guarantee...
13:11
Temps to plummet in Armenia
Clear weather is expected in Armenia's regions on Friday and over the weekend. Rain and snow are forecast for most parts of the country...
12:32
Alexis Ohanian showcases rare Armenian coin
Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has showcased a rare Armenian coin from 95 BC featuring Tigranes the Great, a famous Armenian king....
12:16
German foreign minister criticizes Azerbaijan's human rights record
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized the human rights record of Azerbaijan during her first appearance at the UN Climate Change...
12:06
Minister shares new images captured by Armenia's first satellite
Armenia's Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan has shared new satellite images from orbit captured by ARMSAT-1,...
11:36
World Cadet Chess Championship passes its halfway mark
The 2024 World Cadet Chess Championship has passed its halfway mark in Montesilvano, Italy. After 6 rounds, in the Open 12 category CM...
11:15
Iran to launch 'new and advanced centrifuges' in response to IAEA censure
Iran said Friday it would launch a series of "new and advanced" centrifuges in response to a resolution adopted by the IAEA that...
11:00
Armenian, Iranian foreign ministers hold phone call
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Thursday had a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Seyed Abbas Araghchi....
17:07
Winter military draft starts in Armenia on November 25
The winter conscription for compulsory military service starts in Armenia on November 25 to run through January 31, 2025. The...
16:45
Russian spokeswoman told not to comment on ballistic missile strike live on air
Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova received a phone call during a live press briefing on Thursday telling her not to...
16:33
Belgian politicians call for immediate release of all Armenian prisoners held in Baku
In the backdrop of the COP29 currently taking place in Baku 20 members of the Belgian Federal Parliament, the Flemish Parliament, the Walloon...
16:06
Armenia thwarts large-scale drug smuggling attempt
Officers of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC) have foiled an attempt to smuggle some 1,600 grams of cocaine into the country as part...
15:33
Armenian government reduces financial aid for Artsakh refugees
The Armenian government on Thursday approved a decision to reduce financial aid for the displaced Artsakh Armenians. Starting from...
14:45
Percival Everett wins National Book Award
Percival Everett has won the $10,000 National Book Award for fiction, one of the US’s most prestigious literary prizes, for James, his...
14:35
Pyunik v West Armenia match canceled
An Armenian Premier League match between FC Pyunik and West Armenia has been canceled. The 17th round match was scheduled for November 21....
14:06
Armenian Foreign Ministry denies cooperation with Azerbaijan on water management
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry has denied claims of cooperation with Azerbaijan on transboundary water resources management. In a social...
13:36
No rain in sight for rest of the week
Clear weather is expected in Armenia's regions from Thursday to Sunday.  Rain and snow are forecast for most parts of the country...
13:06
Pashinyan thanks dismissed officials for cooperation
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed gratitude to the dismissed top government officials for joint work and wished good luck to...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}