The Dictatorship and the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku

Hjalmarson Foundation has been promoting democracy and organizing seminars  in Azerbaijan for nearly ten years. An authoritarian regime where the political opposition is allowed to operate only under the regime’s strict conditions. Cooperation partner is the National Independence Party ofAzerbaijan (NIPA). Prior to the Eurovision Song Contest, held in Baku May 26, JHS will host a seminar at the Sverigemöte in Örebro, Sweden, on March 16. In addition a report about the political situation in Azerbaijan will be introduced. Fuad Muxtarli, former international secretary of NIPA and currently working at the BBC in Baku, will be one of the panelists. Gerald Knaus, founder and chairman of the European Stability Initiative (ESI), based in Istanbul, will also be part of the panel. Azerbaijan is one of the countries where ESI is operating. The seminar will be led by Thomas Gür, well-known political writer and commentator.