Azerbaijan Bans Guardian From Reporting on Baku European Games

The government of Azerbaijan has banned the Guardian, along with a number of media outlets and human rights activists, from entering the country to cover the inaugural European Games which begin on Friday.

The games will feature more than 6,000 athletes from 50 countries, and the autocratic government of the president, Ilham Aliyev, has poured billions into the event, keen to put Azerbaijan on the map. The British Olympic Association has sent a team of 160 athletes to Baku, with the Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams the flagbearer at Friday’s opening ceremony.