Eurovision Song Contest Changes Rules, Prohibits “Any Form of Political Propaganda”
The organizer of the Eurovision Song Contest, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), is changing the rules that govern the annual international music competition after controversy marred Ukraine’s hosting of the event earlier this year.
Russia withdrew from the competition after Ukraine banned its contestant, Julia Samoylova, after authorities said she was subject to a two-year exclusion order after allegedly illegally entering Crimea via Russia, which is forbidden under Ukrainian law. Ukraine disputes the legality of Russia’s seizure of the Ukrainian territory in 2014, which Moscow claims was later legitimized by a referendum, in which the population of the Crimean peninsula voted overwhelming in favor of being incorporated into Russia.
It was this incident, along with widely reported deficiencies in preparing for the Kiev contest, that has prompted changes to the rules for future Eurovision events, the EBU said in…