From political prisoners to media bans: Baku's European Games in numbers

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http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/29/azerbaijan-european-games-numbers-political-prisoners



Forget medal tallies and world records, some of the most pertinent facts about inaugural event in Azerbaijan involve activities taking place out of competition

From political prisoners to media bans: Baku's European Games in numbers
Maeve Shearlaw and Charlie Jones
Monday 29 June 2015 03.40 EDT

The European Games in Azerbaijan have been shrouded in controversy from the start, amid questions about whether a country with such a poor human rights record should host an international sporting event.

The run-up to the Games saw President Ilham Aliyev’s government crack down on dissenting voices, locking up journalists and activists on a scale unparalleled in the post-Soviet era, according to Human Rights Watch.

Amnesty International was blocked from visiting, and a number of media outlets, including the Guardian, were refused permission to report on the Games.

Writing after his visa was denied, the Guardian’s chief sports correspondent Owen Gibson pointed to the irony inherent in the government’s heavy handed efforts to prevent negative coverage of the event.