On 26 May 2012, the final of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan is one of those countries where you cant' sing freely about what you want to say.
The human rights situation in the country has been deteriorating over many years. Journalists, bloggers, political activists and ordinary citizens in Azerbaijan face harassment, attacks and imprisonment for voicing opinions critical of the authorities. You risk being jailed if you exercise your fundamental rights and freedom of expression.
How can we joyfully and light-heartedly sing about love and freedom while a few kilometers further people sit in prison because they exercised their right to demonstrate and speak in public?
European Liberals are particularly concerned about the fate of members of our member party Musavat and their political allies. This includes Arif Hajili, deputy chairman of Musavat Party and Tural Abbasli, chairman of the Musavat Youth Organization. They were imprisoned on the basis of exercising their right to freedom of expression and are considered prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.
European Liberals demand the the immediate and unconditional release of those currently imprisoned on politically motivated charges. Sign our petition! These prisoners need your support.