Azerbaijani politicians and activists on the murder of Navalny

Activist Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, who is under arrest, made an appeal in connection with the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. "The news of Alexei Navalny's sudden death has deeply shocked me, as well as all advocates of freedom, justice and democracy around the world," Hajiyev notes.

He called on Western officials to stop "hypocrisy", demanding on the one hand the release of political prisoners, and on the other, they calmly observe the detention of journalists, human rights defenders, public activists  in difficult conditions, and call authoritarian regimes "reliable partners".

“No one can guarantee that tragedies and murders in Russia will not be repeated in other authoritarian states. The Kremlin is responsible for Navalny's death, and the same degree of moral responsibility falls on Western leaders for inaction,” Hajiyev notes.

Leader of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Ali Kerimli believes that Navalny's death should “shake the world.” “The sleeping conscience must finally awaken. The whole world must understand that every dictatorship is anti-human. World leaders must understand that a tolerant, restrained, toothless, wavering attitude towards dictatorships is an injustice to the millions suppressed by these regimes,” Kerimli wrote on Facebook.

“Despite his physical death, Navalny won morally. With his death, he dealt a crushing blow to the Russian regime. I believe that neither the Russian people nor the international community will accept a murderous regime. This will accelerate the collapse of the Putin regime,” Kerimli wrote.

The head of the “Musavat” party, Arif Hajili, believes that Navalny's death will seriously affect political processes in Russia. And the head of the Institute of Political Management, Azer Gasimli, believes that Navalny “left as a winner.” “Putin, with all his resources, could not break Navalny's will. He will remain in history as the man who defeated the dictator,” Gasimli said.

 Head of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center (EMDSC) Anar Mammadli believes that Navalny became a figure who sacrificed his life for freedom and democratic change in the Russian Federation. “Russia is going through the most shameful period of its history, remaining indifferent to the death of such brave people,” Mammadli said.