Human rights defender Leyla Yunus and her husband Arif Yunus have been arrested on 30 July 2014. Leyla Yunus was sentenced to 3 months pre-trial detention, whilst her husband is under police control and not allowed to leave Baku. We call for Leyla Yunus’ immediate and unconditional release, as we see this as part of the persecution against human rights defenders and activists in Azerbaijan.
As expressed in their joint letter of 30 April 2014 to the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan, member and partner NGOs of the Human Rights House Network expressed their concern that the persecution is related to her outspoken criticism in the past few days against the detention of Rauf Mirgadirov, the investigative journalist of the leading Russian-language newspaper Zerkalo (Mirror), who is now facing charges of treason for his efforts in the peace building process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Rauf Mirgadirov was deported from Turkey on 19 April 2014 and then arrested in Baku. Rauf Mirkadirov participated in the numerous joint projects between the Institute for Peace and Democracy and Armenian NGOs.
Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus were both arrested on Wednesday, 30 July 2014. Following 6 hours of interogation, Leyla Yunus was sentenced to 3 months pre-trial detention. The charges held against her are State treason (article 274 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan), large-scale fraud (article 178.3.2), forgery (article 320), tax evasion (article 213), and illegal business (article 192).
Arif Yunus is facing charges of State treason and fraud. He is not under detention but under police control and not allowed to leave Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital.
Since 28 April 2014, Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus were not allowed to leave the country and their passports were confiscated. Leyla Yunus has been arguing since that the Prosecutor’s Office does not have any legal ground to confiscate her passport. The pre-trial detention of Leyla Yunus is hence unjustified, as she would not be able to leave the country without her passport.
“We see an unprecedented wave of repression against human rights defenders and activists in Azerbaijan. Persecution against Leyla Yunus and her husband Arif Yunus is part of it. Leyla Yunus must be immediately and unconditionally released. Leyla and Arif Yunus must also be rehabilitated in their right to free movement”, stated Maria Dahle, Executive Director of the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF).
The case against Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus is one more politically motivated detention in Azerbaijan. The charges of tax evasion and illegal business are indeed the same as those held against Anar Mammadli and Bashir Suleymanli.
Rasul Jafarov with singer Loreen (© Civil Rights Defenders)Also on 30 July 2014, the human rights defender Rasul Jafarov, coordinator of the campaign “Sing for Democracy” has also been banned from travelling abroad. It appears he might face an investigation based on similar charges as those held against Anar Mammadli and Bashir Suleymanli.
Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF)
She is the latest opposition figure to be jailed in what rights groups say is a crackdown by the government in Baku.
Dozens of journalists, opposition activists and bloggers have been arrested in Azerbaijan in recent years, accused of possessing drugs and weapons or charged with hooliganism.
But according to human rights groups, the charges are trumped up – an attempt by the government of authoritarian President Ilham Aliyev to stamp out any dissent in the oil-rich country.
Mr Aliyev won a third term in last year’s presidential election, describing it as a “triumph of democracy”.
But the country’s opposition groups alleged widespread fraud.
