Next week and next month two countries will respectively take the centre of the European stage for two very different competitions, but both countries will have the same dark cloud of alleged human rights abuses hanging over them as they put their best feet forward to showcase their countries.
Next week, Azerbaijan hosts the yearly Eurovision contest as a result of one of its nationals having won last year’s competition, while Ukraine co-hosts, with Poland, the Euro 2012 football tournament - Europe’s most prestigious national football tournament which is held only once every four years. And with the dates of both contests having been underlined on many a Maltese calendar for a long time now, and with anticipation for both now growing at a fast pace, it is only fitting that spectators spare a thought for matters somewhat more concerning than the glitz, glamour and drama that these events inspire.
After all, Austria and Belgium have confirmed they are to boycott Europe’s biggest national football competition and several other European governments are actively considering following suit, in support of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has announced he will not go to Ukraine during the June tournament unless he sees a swift improvement in the human rights situation, and in so doing he followed the lead of EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding, who said she would skip the ceremonial Euro 2012 opening on 8 June. European Union President Herman Van Rompuy has also said he will not travel to any of the matches being held in Ukraine.
They and many others are growing increasingly concerned over the plight of the imprisoned Tymoshenko, who has been sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of abuse of office while conducting natural gas negotiations with Russia in 2009. The West has condemned the verdict as politically motivated and has piled pressure on Ukraine to free her and end the alleged mistreatment, but Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Tymoshenko’s fierce rival, denies charges of bias.
51-year-old Tymoshenko, the country’s top opposition leader, has been on hunger strike for more than two weeks in protest over her alleged abuse, and Ukraine’s government has come under intense Western pressure to provide Tymoshenko with suitable medical care.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged Ukrainian leaders to give Tymoshenko “proper treatment” for her ailments, but insisted she had not yet decided whether to stay away from the matches in Ukraine, but said her priority now was the former leader’s health.
Yesterday, Tymoshenko was moved from a jail to a hospital for treatment of a severe back condition under the supervision of a German doctor. The move was likely to allay at least some Western concerns over Tymoshenko’s health and handling in prison, the criticism of which has been a blow to the country’s hopes of using the tournament to boost tourism and trade with the European Union.
Several other top EU officials and some EU governments have vowed to boycott the European football championship matches, and Ukraine was forced to cancel a regional cooperation summit last weekend after most heads of central and eastern European states - including the German and Czech presidents - cancelled their visits over the Tymoshenko case.
Meanwhile, the human rights situation in the central Asian state of Azerbaijan, the host of next week’s Eurovision contest, is not much better. Over the past few months, harassment and violence against journalists have increased, according to the Human Rights Watch organisation. Leaders of pro-democracy organisations are reportedly routinely detained and imprisoned, peaceful protests are broken up and participants arrested or beaten. Dozens of political prisoners are at present behind bars.
All the elections held since Azerbaijan broke away from the former Soviet Union in 1991 have been considered flawed, according to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Because of its poor human rights records, there had been reluctance to admit Azerbaijan to the Council of Europe. But, according to a recent interview with Council of Europe secretary general Thorbjorn Jagland, most members thought it was better to have Azerbaijan admitted in order to provide it with standards for human rights and democratic institutions, rather than leave it outside, where influence would be minimal.
Once a member, Azerbaijan flouted the Council of Europe’s principles. In 2006, there was even an attempt to suspend Azerbaijan’s voting rights in the organisation.
The oil- and gas-rich Azerbaijan is now flush with money after having opened one of the world’s longest pipelines in 2006, connecting it to European markets – a delicate balance that Europe and Azerbaijan are wary of upsetting.
At present, a Council of Europe rapporteur tasked with a report on Azeri political prisoners, German MP Christoph Strässer, is being denied a visa because he wants to meet political prisoners, which he says is part of his mandate, but Azeri authorities claim he is overstepping his brief.
But as the battle over the boycott of Ukraine wages on, it was perhaps German national football coach Joachim Loew who sought the best middle ground this week when, while urging against a boycott of Ukraine-hosted matches, said, “the tournament is a good opportunity, with the world watching, to discuss these issues and maybe something positive will come out of it”.