Human Rights Watch commented on the 2003 elections:

In his role as leader of Müsavat, Gambar has played a major part in spring 2011 demonstrations inspired by other protests throughout the Middle East. He and his party have organized protests, occasionally joining with fellow opposition groups like the Popular Front Party to rally in Baku despite a government ban and the steadfast efforts of security forces to disperse gatherings and arrest activists. “There is a criminal, authoritarian and corrupt regime in Azerbaijan, and the people of Azerbaijan no longer want to live under these conditions,” Gambar told The New York Times. In early April, Ilkin Gambar, the opposition leader’s son currently serving in the Azerbaijani Army, claimed on his Facebook page that he was being sent to the front lines in Azerbaijan’s standoff with Armenia and that his father had been “warned” that this could be a result of his continuing involvement in protests. For his part, Isa Gambar said, “The Ministry of Defence has a right to place soldiers in any location at its disposal. So I don’t want to politicize this issue.”