Behind Grand Prix glamour

I’m sure that many of your readers are looking forward to the European Grand Prix which is happening in Azerbaijan on Sunday and which will be a great spectacle.

However, there are many people in Azerbaijan who are unable to witness the action including those locked up simply for expressing their opinion or for criticising the government.

Azerbaijan now holds more than 20 people whom Amnesty International regards as prisoners of conscience.

They’ve been imprisoned for peacefully opposing the government and its policies or for helping victims of human rights violations.

Opposition parties have been dismantled after constant harassment, threats and the arrests of their leaders.

All the non-governmental agencies that work on human rights have been shut down and also Amnesty International has been banned form the country.

The international community has hardly responded to these human rights violations and the Azerbaijan government has been allowed to get away with unprecedented levels of repression.

The Azerbaijani authorities love to use major international moments like the grand prix to show that they are open for business and to gloss over their terrible human rights record.

We want to remind the world that this regime is not all about glitz and glamour but about severe restrictions on basic human rights. Huw Kyffin Chairman, Canterbury branch, Amnesty, St Augustine’s Road, Canterbury