Any position that deviates from ‘Aliyev’s’ stance can serve as grounds for repression – Gleb Kuznetsov

Speaking with Alpha News, Russian political scientist Gleb Kuznetsov commented on reports that two members of the Eurasian movement had been sentenced to lengthy prison terms in Baku for spying for Russia.

“Aliyev continues a rather harsh repressive policy. The values and ideology that can be shared in Azerbaijan are Aliyev’s ideology. Any position that deviates from ‘Aliyev’s’ stance can serve as grounds for repression. This is very clearly visible, the space for permissible discourse is shrinking,” Kuznetsov said.

According to the expert, in Azerbaijan it is impossible to have a position different from the official one.

“It’s not about Moscow or what these people stand for, but that they simply have a different position than their superiors. What that position is about doesn’t matter. The issue here is not about Russia, not about interstate relations, but that in Azerbaijan you can’t have any public position that differs from the official one. This simply shows that such a policy is being pursued towards people. It is purely a matter of domestic policy. The boundaries of permissible discourse are narrowing, it will become easier to commit crimes. Aliyev’s regime is moving more and more towards totalitarianism,” Kuznetsov concluded.