System of a Down's Serj Tankian has criticised Imagine Dragons for going ahead with their controversial gig in Azerbaijan, stating that they’re "not good human beings, as far as I’m concerned.” Last year, System of Down’s frontman Serj Tankian warned Imagine Dragons about performing in Azerbaijan. He had penned an open letter to the pop-rock band, asking for them not to play in the capital Baku, accusing the country of “crimes against humanity” for their military actions which he described as a looming “genocide”.
Tankian warned at the time that the band’s performance could “help whitewash the dictatorial regime’s image” and that committing to the show despite what was going on in the region would have “a negative impact” on Imagine Dragon’s brand. “I’m confident that you can decipher all the facts for yourselves to decide whether to cancel your concert.” At the time, AP news reported that a former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court had warned that Azerbaijan was preparing a full-scale genocide against ethnic Armenians in its Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Tankian wasn’t the only musician to call for the concert’s cancellation: Roger Waters, Brian Eno, and Thurston Moore all pushed for Imagine Dragons to pull out of the show. “Performing in Baku under these circumstances, regardless of intent, can only help the government of Azerbaijan cover up its crimes,” read a section of an open letter they shared last August. Imagin.
