prison (Photo credit Dar.)

Reuters have just reported that 4 terrorists that were arrested on the eve of Eurovision in Baku earlier this year have been sentenced for up to 14 years in prison.

Azerbaijan has a more relaxed approach to religion than some of its neighbours and this they feel places them under pressure within the Caspian Region from more religious countries and groups.

The court official refused to be named in the article but did say that “the four were sentenced to between 12 and 14 years in jail for crimes including treason, plotting terrorist attacks, arms smuggling and having links with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.”

Allegedly Security Forces killed the leader of the terrorist group back in April and in the run up to the Eurovision the remaining 4 members fo the group were captured. A closed court heard the evidence from both parties and the ruling by the Azeri Jury was to impose prison sentences of 12 to 14 years on the 4 individuals.

Religion can be both inclusive and yet cause many political disagreements within a country or region. Sure you only have to look at Ireland and the decades of political and religious struggle that we have had. It is no wonder that Azerbaijan (which President Ilham Aliyev) has said is “strictly secular” which is what I found on my trip to Baku for the 2 weeks of the Eurovision Song Contest this year.

As it was reported earlier this year the Eurovision Song contest was condemned by some groups as a “Gay Parade”. Thankfully none of the terrorist attacks came to fruition.

If there was ever one Eurovision Song that is more pertinent now again, it is this one. Especially when you hear the audience applaud all the inclusions of the different languages of our Wonderful Europe

(YouTube Video courtesy of ooJustforFun74oo)

(Source The Star – Lada Evgrashina; Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Jon Hemming – Copyright Reuters 2012)

Authour/Website Creator and Chief Editor – Garrett Mulhall