Ikke bare Gongadze: Several thousand mourners turned out in Azerbaijan on Friday to bury a murdered investigative journalist and an opposition leader gave the oil-rich country’s dynastic ruler two weeks to find his killers or resign.
Elmar Huseinov, a 38-year-old magazine editor and outspoken critic of the elite was shot dead on Wednesday, prompting public outrage and giving a rallying point to the fractured opposition.
One opposition leader drew parallels with Ukraine, another former Soviet republic, where the killing of an investigative reporter in 2000 helped stir opposition that eventually led to a new government which has now arrested policemen for the murder.
«All those in power are frightened by today’s events, they are afraid their end is near,» said Ali Kerimli, leader of the National Front, at the ceremony in the capital Baku as mourners filed past Huseinov’s flag-draped casket to pay their respects. (reuters)