Freedom House: Azerbaijani Authorities Try to Use Formula 1 to Portray Themselves a Modern Authority

• 06.14.2016, 10:52
•  Region,  World

obozrevatel.com

On the eve of Formula 1 to be held in Azerbaijan, Freedom House has issued a statement, which reads as follows:

"The government of Azerbaijan tries to use sporting events like the Formula 1 race to portray itself as a modern, benign authority even as it conducts a brutal crackdown on its citizens’ fundamental freedoms and muffles all dissent. We urge the journalists and corporate sponsors arriving in Baku to look beyond the glossiness of the race by examining the government’s repressive policies, including the unjustified detention of more than 80 political activists, human rights defenders, and reporters."