System of a Down’s Serj Tankian doesn’t ‘respect Imagine Dragons as human beings’ after controversial gig

System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian has called out Imagine Dragons for their decision to perform in Azerbaijan, saying he doesn’t “respect them as human beings”.

The US pop-rock group played a gig in the country’s capital city, Baku, last September, despite criticism that it could be seen as an endorsement of Azerbeijan’s authoritarian president, Ilham Aliyev.

Tankian, who is Armenian-American, had previously penned a letter to Imagine Dragons – comprising vocalist Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman – asking them to reconsider their decision to play in Baku, amid concerns that it would help to “whitewash the dictatorial regime’s image”.

In recent years, Azerbaijan has been criticised by organisations including the International Court of Justice and Amnesty International. On Amnesty’s website, the human rights charity states: “Azerbaijan’s blockade of a key route into the breakaway territory of Nagorno-Karabakh endangered the lives of thousands of people and, followed by a military offensive, forced most of the ethnic Armenians to flee the region. The government’s crackdown on freedom of expression intensified.

“Journalists, human rights defenders and activists were arrested in retaliation for their work. Peaceful protests were suppressed, and the work of media outlets and independent organisations remained unduly restricted. Women and girls continued to face gender-based harassment and violence.”

Other prominent musicians also called on Imagine Dragons to cancel the live date in an open letter last August; signatories included Brian Eno and Pink Floyd star Roger Waters.

Speaking to music outlet Metal Hammer in a new interview, Tankian strongly condemned Imagine Dragons for their decision.

“Look, I’m not a judge for people to tell bands where to play, or where not to play… I get that they’re doing it for money, that they’re artists, that they’re entertaining, all of that,” he said. “But when there’s a government that’s about to commit ethnic cleansing, when Azerbaijan was starving the 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, and not allowing any food or medicine in.

“You know, as an artist, if I found that out, there is no f***ing way I could have gone and played that show. But some artists do. And I don’t know what to say about those artists. I don’t respect them as human beings. F*** their art, they’re not good human beings, as far as I’m concerned.”

He continued: “If you are that blind to justice that you will go play a show in a country that’s starving another country, illegally, according to the International Court of Justice, according to what Amnesty International is saying, what Human Rights Watch is saying… If you still go and play that country, I don’t know what to say about you as a f***ing human being. I don’t even care about your music. If you’re a bad human being, I don’t give a f***. So that’s where I’m at with that. I have zero respect for those guys.”

The Independent has reached out to a representative of Imagine Dragons for comment.

The band have yet to address the criticism publically. Speaking at at Reading Festival in 2023, singer Reynolds told the crowd: “Whatever is burdening you, leave it at the door; politics, religion, leave it.”