(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
This year, the European Games are being held for the first time, and over 6000 athletes from 30 different disciplines are participating. From Norway, the Olympic Summit has selected 58 participants to participate in Baku. Azerbaijan is under constant criticism from organizations such as Amnesty International for human rights violations and systematic rock-clearing of freedom of expression. The country is today considered to be one of the world's most oppressive regimes, and is heavily affected both by a lack of freedom of expression and by corruption. Local human rights activists report that the situation has worsened since the country was awarded the first European Games three years ago. During the OSCE's winter meeting, which was held in Vienna in February, the Norwegian delegation raised its concerns about human rights violations in the country. Imprisonment of opposition and critical journalists was particularly in focus during the meeting.
Confiscated. Filmmaker and public debater Erling Borgen is upset that Norway still chooses to send participants to the competition. "There is no limit to what this government can do. Now the Norwegian authorities will shine a light on this event by sending 58 participants. Moreover, they do not say a word about the conditions in the country. So far, there has been no real debate about this in sports Norway, "says Borgen to Ny Tid.
The castle itself has been in Azerbaijan several times, and has, among other things, made a documentary about Statoil's projects in the country. He himself refused entry into Azerbaijan after filming the documentary The prisoner from Azerbaijan. "I was surrounded at the airport by 16 agents who took my material and threatened me. When I got it back, the CDs with the material were still included. When I looked through them, it turned out that the contents of the CDs had been replaced with porn. But I fooled them – copies of everything had long since arrived in Norway, ”says Borgen.
Ugly methods. As of today, 80 political prisoners are in Azerbaijani prisons. One of them is Rasul Jafarov, who was sentenced in April to six and a half years in prison. The activist became known internationally through the "Sing for Democracy" initiative during the final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku in 2012. Jafarov planned a similar campaign during the European Games, but was imprisoned in April.
Last year, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee's annual prize, the Andrei Sakharov Freedom Prize, became a political prisoner in Azerbaijan. One of them is human rights activist Leyla Yunus, one of Azerbaijan's most prominent human rights defenders, who has been imprisoned since July 30, charged with treason. Borgen emphasizes that there are many examples of imprisonment of journalists and others who are critical of the country's government. "There are many ugly examples of the government's efforts to restrict journalists. Khadija Ismalova is one of Azerbaijan's most talented journalists, and has repeatedly exposed the corruption of the presidential family. Among other things, she had her sexual life unfolded in public after the government published a recording they had made in Ismalova's own home. Now she has been arrested and risks eleven years in prison, "says Borgen.
When Azerbaijan became a member of the Council of Europe in 2001, one of the conditions for membership was that the country should release its political prisoners. However, little has happened in the country, which since May last year has held the presidency of the Council of Europe. Borgen believes that Norway should have been clearer in its criticism of the situation. "Norway could make some demands. They could not participate in this event, or they could send Norwegian participants provided that the Azerbaijani authorities released political prisoners, "says Borgen.
Oil. Norway has been criticized several times for its oil activities in Azerbaijan. In December last year, Statoil announced that the company sold its share in the Azerbaijani oil field Shah Deniz field for NOK 14,62 billion. However, Statoil says that the company plans to continue its investment in the country.
"We do not need to continue our Viking expeditions abroad."
In 2014, Azerbaijan ended up in 127th place on the organization Transparency International's list of the world's 177 most corrupt countries. In the movie In the shadow of Statoil Erling Borgen visits Statoil's large terminal in Baku. In the 2007 film, he interviews the widow of an editor who was shot outside his own apartment, as well as opposition politicians who have been tortured, and bottomless people who do not benefit from Azerbaijan's oil wealth. "Azerbaijan is the country where Statoil has made the most investments – a total of NOK 20 billion," says Borgen. "The president's family in the country have behaved almost as if this is their money. Norway is rich enough. We do not need to continue our Viking expeditions abroad, "says Borgen.
Awareness. Frode Overland Andersen, Head of Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, tells Ny Tid that the ministry has not taken a position on the Norwegian participation in the sports event. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not been involved in the question of Norwegian participation in the European Games," says Andersen. Press officer at Olympiatoppen Halvor Lea says that the organization is concerned with giving players the opportunity to focus on an organizer's possible challenges. "Our starting point is that we follow Norway's official foreign policy, in the sense that we participate when it is in line with the authorities' policy," Lea writes in an email to Ny Tid from Baku. "We at Olympiatoppen are responsible for the sporting implementation, and we are concerned that when we compete in countries with challenges related to, for example, human rights, we create a focus and a spotlight that gives relevant organizations and players a momentum and an opportunity to focus on the current challenges. ” Lea cites the Olympics in Beijing and Sochi, as well as the Eurovision final and the international chess tournament with Magnus Carlsen in Baku, as other examples of this. "Our athletes are at work in the European Games, and they are in Azerbaijan to compete. But we want the participants to be familiar with and aware of the conditions in the countries we travel to. Therefore, prior to the games, we have, among other things, conveyed a note to the athletes from the Norwegian embassy in Azerbaijan regarding culture, politics and relevant conditions in the country, "says Lea. "In addition, in communication with practitioners and leaders, we have asked those who wish to contact relevant organizations such as Amnesty or the Helsinki Committee. At the same time, it is also our responsibility to remind ourselves of the obligations we have to the participant regulations that apply, "concludes Lea.
carima@nytid.no
