Eurovision 2009: Baku continues to deny that voted for the Armenian song subjected to interrogation

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has received responses from Azerbaijan regarding allegations that telephone voters in Azerbaijan who voted for the Armenian song in this year's Eurovision Song Contest were interrogated by security police.



Ictimai, the EBU's Azeri Member which broadcast this year's Song Contest from Moscow in May, has confirmed its commitment to free and fair voting. While two individuals had been invited to the Ministry of National Security, Ictimai said, the Ministry of National Security had given assurances that nobody had been questioned, either officially or unofficially, on voting in the competition itself.



The EBU's Director General, Jean Réveillon, said he took note of the statements. However, he stressed that the freedom to vote for any song except the one of the country where you are watching is one of the cornerstones of the contest. "Any breach of privacy regarding voting, or interrogation of individuals, is totally unacceptable," he added.



The EBU committee responsible for running the Song Contest will examine the matter at a meeting in Oslo on 11 September 2009.



Earlier in the Azeri press released information that the Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan called for questioning 43 people who voted in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009 for the Armenian singers Inga and Anush Arshakyan. Azerbaijani officials have denied this fact.