The Arshakyan sisters represented Armenia in the Eurovision song contest with their song "Jan Jan."The Telegraph (national daily newspaper UK)
Tuesday 18 Aug 2009
Azerbaijanis questioned
over Eurovision votes
Azerbaijanis who voted for neighbouring Armenia's Eurovision Song Contest entry this year have been questioned by police.
by our foreign staff
More than 40 people who texted their support for the song Jan Jan are thought to have been accused of unpatriotic behaviour and being a "potential security threat."
There have long been tensions between the two countries and they fought over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in the 1990s.
The authorities have denied being heavy-handed claiming people were simply invited to explain their vote.
Just 43 Azerbaijanis are thought to have voted for Armenia in the competition and it is not clear why the authorities decided to begin questioning people three months after this year's competition.
Civil rights campaigners say freedom of expression is increasingly suppressed in Azerbaijan under the presidency of Ilham Aliyev.
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