Authorities in Azerbaijan have reportedly brought in dozens of music fans for interrogation, questioning their patriotism after they voted for Armenia in this year's Eurovision song contest.
Azerbaijan's national security ministry has allegedly spoken to each of the 43 Azerbaijani who voted for Armenian duo Inga and Anush, singing Jan Jan. Though officials told the BBC that they had "merely invited [voters] to explain" their votes, one fan described a more robust interrogation.
"They said it was a matter of national security," Rovshan Nasirli told Radio Free Europe. "They were trying to put psychological pressure on me, saying things like, 'You have no sense of ethnic pride. How come you voted for Armenia?'"
The 22-year-old said that he voted for the Armenian entry because it sounded even "more Azeri" that Azerbaijan's own submission. Always, which came third, was a duet between Azeribaijan's AySel and Iranian/Swedish singer Arash. "I voted for Armenia to protest the fact that Arash was representing Azerbaijan," Nasirli said.
Relations are tense between Azerbaijan and Armenia due to the ongoing dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, where the countries fought a war in the early 90s. The mountainous region, mostly occupied by ethnic Armenians, is formally under Azerbaijani jurisdiction. Though the two countries seemed to be approaching consensus in negotiations earlier this year, this recent Eurovision controversy has helped fan the flames of resentment.