{"id":200563,"date":"2020-05-12T18:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-12T18:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/article\/slaves-progress\/"},"modified":"2020-05-12T18:12:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-12T18:12:00","slug":"slaves-progress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/slaves-progress\/","title":{"rendered":"Slaves to Progress"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Few authoritarian states have worked harder than Azerbaijan to leverage major international events to boost their image on the world stage.\n<\/p>\n

\n In 2007, the country\u2019s capital, Baku, hosted the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship in a newly refurbished sports complex named for the country\u2019s dictatorial ex-president, Heydar Aliyev. In 2015,
\n
\n Lady Gaga sang \u201cImagine\u201d
\n <\/a>
\n at the opening ceremony of the first annual European Games, a glitzy affair held in a massive stadium purpose-built for the occasion. And in 2016, a racing circuit that hosts an annual Formula One Race opened right along the walls of Baku\u2019s old city.\n<\/p>\n

\n Human rights and democracy advocates have decried the strategy as a \u201csportswashing\u201d of a regime where opposition parties are crushed, journalists are imprisoned, and oil wealth is controlled by a small clique of ruling elites.\n<\/p>\n

\n That hasn\u2019t stopped one of its key promoters, Youth and Sports Minister Azad Rahimov. "Each of these events strengthens Azerbaijan's place on the world map,"
\n
\n he told the French news agency AFP
\n <\/a>
\n last year.\n<\/p>\n

\n But a new OCCRP investigation reveals the human cost of some of Rahimov\u2019s projects \u2014 and the lengths the state has gone to protect its image when his complicity was unearthed.\n<\/p>\n

\n Several of these marquee buildings were built or renovated by men from the Balkans who were shipped to Baku by a company that appears to be owned by the minister\u2019s wife. They were forced to work long hours in grueling conditions for almost no pay. Two died there; many others were marked forever by their time toiling far from home.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThese traumas you carry with you for your whole life,\u201d said one of these men, Seudin Zoleti\u0107. \u201cThat memory stays forever. It\u2019s always there. Always, when you meet someone, it always comes up. And you remember, like I do now, whenever I breathe in.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n <\/iframe>\n <\/div>
\n BUILDING BAKU: Modern Slavery in the Heart of Azerbaijan
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n
\n THE PROJECT TEAM
\n <\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Project Lead:
\n <\/b>
\n Miranda Patruci\u0107\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Writing:
\n <\/b>
\n Miranda Patruci\u0107, Ilya Lozovsky\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Editing:
\n <\/b>
\n Ilya Lozovsky, Julia Wallace, Kira Zalan, Caroline Henshaw, Drew Sullivan\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Reporting:
\n <\/b>
\n Miranda Patruci\u0107, Madina Mammadova, Kelly Bloss, Ilya Lozovsky, Mubarek Asani, Aida \u010cerkez, Olga Gein, Azhar Kalamuji\u0107, Lejla \u010camd\u017ei\u0107, Bermet Talant, Igor Spai\u0107, Ida Kuburovi\u0107 Hod\u017ei\u0107, Khadija Ismayilova, Pavle Petrovi\u0107\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Video:
\n <\/b>
\n Madeleine May, Matt Sarnecki\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Fact Checking:
\n <\/b>
\n Bojana Pavlovi\u0107, Dima Stoianov\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Layout:
\n <\/b>
\n Adem Kuri\u0107\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Promotion:
\n <\/b>
\n Charles Turner\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Illustrations:
\n <\/b>
\n Svetlana Tiourina\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n Graphics:
\n <\/b>
\n Edin Pa\u0161ovi\u0107<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Few authoritarian states have worked harder than Azerbaijan to leverage major international events to boost their image on the world stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":141701,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-200563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-video","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSlaves to Progress - MEYDAN.TV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/slaves-progress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Slaves to Progress - 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