Serious human rights violations in Azerbaijan have harmed the image of Europe's yearly festival of camp pop - Eurovision.
If Irish twins Jedward or French singer Anggun make finals in Baku in May to sing lines such as "never been in love so deep before" and "in my heart, in my mind I see you and I" viewers might spare a thought for families whose homes were destroyed to make the city look nice on TV.
"I woke up because the building was shaking and I could hear something like thu...
Back our independent journalism by becoming a supporting member
Already a member? Login hereAndrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.