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United Nations human rights experts* today condemned the growing
tendency to prosecute prominent human rights defenders in Azerbaijan,
and urged the Government “to show leadership and reverse the trend of
repression, criminalization and prosecution of human rights work in the
country.”

“We are appalled by the increasing incidents of surveillance,
interrogation, arrest, sentencing on the basis of trumped-up charges,
assets-freezing and ban on travel of the activists in Azerbaijan,” they
said. “The criminalization of rights activists must stop. Those who were
unjustifiably detained for defending rights should be immediately
freed.”

The experts highlighted the specific cases of Leyla Yunus, director of
the Azerbaijani Institute of Peace and Democracy; Arif Yunus, head of
Conflict Studies in the Institute of Peace and Democracy; Rasul Jafarov,
coordinator of Art of Democracy and head of Human Rights Club; and
Intigam Aliyev, chair of Legal Education Society.

“We are alarmed at the wave of politically-motivated repression of
activists in reprisal for their legitimate work in documenting and
reporting human rights violations,” they noted, reiterating their grave
concerns about the deteriorating situation in the country for the third
time in less than a year.

The UN experts reminded the authorities of their legal obligations
under international human rights law, which guarantees everyone in
Azerbaijan the rights to freedom of expression, of peaceful assembly and
association, without undue interference.

“The State’s primary responsibility should be to protect its civil
society activists from intimidation, harassment, threats or attacks,”
they stressed.

“Azerbaijan’s recent membership of the UN Committee on Non-Governmental
Organizations does not square well with the authorities’ actions
directed at stifling freedoms on the ground,” the UN rights experts
noted.

(*) The experts: The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst, the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Maina Kiai, and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom or opinion and expression, David Kaye.

The United Nations human rights experts are part of what it is known as
‘Special Procedures’, the largest body of independent experts in the UN
Human Rights system. ‘Special Procedures’ is the general name of the
independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights
Council that address either specific country situations or thematic
issues in all parts of the world. Currently, there are 38 thematic
mandates and 14 mandates related to countries and territories, with 73
mandate holders.

“Arif, my dear!

Well, after 36 years of our lives with you, we were in different cells in different zones …

My dear, do not you know, I bear it: and the terrible physical pain
(from the cold water I went to the inflammatory process) and pressure
ugolovnitsy with great experience in the camera (by the way, she comes
from Ganja, Ganja again our failed us) and even visits these jackals of
the prosecutor’s office. I stand no gear (I know, and you are completely
without gears, without a change of clothes, medicines). I, too, without
food and without medication. Can you imagine what these jackals are
Usubovs, lemberanskis they little that we in the sweltering chamber,
they have more hunger and starved and without medication.

But the hardest part is that you’re not around. We’re almost never parted all 36 years!

I can not not be able to even talk to you in the mail and I decided to
write you this open letter. As something they get to you.

You know, we read with you all – and Solzhenitsyn, and Varlaam
Shalamova and Grossman and Aksenov. We’re often discussed, they feel the
couple, who were taken together. And in 1937 there were a great many.

We’re just not assume that in the XXI century, we come to the
repression of the 30s. Yesterday I was reminded of the words of Grossman
in his “Life and Fate”. He writes about the feelings of the prisoners:
“terrible sadness is replaced by meaningless opium – optimism …”

How exactly said about optimism in the prisons of authoritarian
structures. And still there: the Jews in 1942 in the camps passed each
other accurate information, “Hitler gave a tough ultimatum – immediately
release all the Jews!”

And people believed … Believed because clinging to meaningless opium – optimism.

We are with you – realists. “Politics – a dirty business.” We’re all
aware. It would not have developed life – the most terrible that I can
not see you. And it is with you our 37th year.

Hugs,

Leyla

*Letter poisoned human rights activist Leyla Yunus to spouse Arif from the detention center in Kurdakhani

On August 19 the lawyer Alaif Hasanov visited in detention the human
rights defenders Leila Yunus and Intigam Aliyev, reported Radio
Liberty.

“Leila Yunus is contained in a cell measuring 12 square meters, where
there are also 6 people. There’s no air and there is a special attitude
towards the prisoners. In particular, into the next cell they brought
life prisoners from the Gobustan prison,” said the lawyer.

Despite numerous appeals, the prison administration refuses to take
medication and dietary food for Leyla Yunus, suffering from acute
diabetes.

“Leyla Yunus said she eats almost nothing and she is not allowed to correspond,” said the lawyer.

She is convinced that this is done deliberately and is a punishment for
her human rights activities. The goal is simple – to physically destroy
her and her husband Arif.

The meeting between the lawyer and Leyla Yunus is a big problem. In
spite of the established order, the administration repeatedly informs
the leadership and other authorities to give permission for access to
Leyla Yunus, said Alaif Hasanov.

As for Intigam Aliyev, his position is relatively better.

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
programme of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has received new
information and requests urgent intervention in the following situation
in Azerbaijan.

The statement says that the Observatory has been informed by reliable
sources about the ongoing arbitrary detention and deterioration of the
health condition of Ms. Leyla Yunus, Director of the Institute for Peace
and Democracy (IPD) and a member of OMCT General Assembly.

According to the information received, although the health of Ms. Leyla
Yunus has deteriorated while in detention, the prison authorities in
Kurdakhany detention facility have not allowed her to receive the
parcels with medication she needs as she suffers from diabetes and
kidneys problems. However, following the visit from delegates of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on August 12, 2014, she
finally got her painkiller-injections. Yet she is still not allowed to
be hospitalised.

The Observatory recalls that Ms. Leyla Yunus has been detained since
July 30, 2014, when she was sentenced to three months pre-trial
detention. Her husband, Mr. Arif Yunusov, Head of the Conflictology
Department of IPD, was also arrested on August 5, 2014 and placed in
pre-trial detention for three months. Both of them are charged with
espionage in favor of Armenia. Mr. Yunusov is also in great need for
medical treatment as he would be in a pre-stroke condition. In April and
May 2014, he got two heart attacks and consequently spent several weeks
in hospital.

The Observatory also recalls that Messrs. Rasul Jafarov, prominent
human rights defender engaged in the defence of the rights of political
prisoners and leader of “Sing for Democracy” and “Art for Democracy”,
and Intigam Aliyev, Head of the Legal Enlightenment Society, were
arrested respectively on August 2 and August 8, 2014 on the basis of
spurious accusations, and are also allegedly in need of medical support.
Mr. Aliyev was initially detained in a cell with smokers, yet following
the ICRC visit on August 12 he was transferred to a more spacious cell.

The Observatory is also concerned about the adequate healthcare and
prison conditions of other human rights defenders who remain detained in
relation to their human rights activities, including Mr. Anar Mammadli,
Chairperson of the Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Centre
(EMDSC), and Mr. Bashir Suleymanli, Executive Director of EMDSC, who
were arrested on December 16, 2013 and May 26, 2014 respectively.
Moreover, Mr. Hilal Mammadov, a defender of the rights of the Talysh
ethnic minority, who suffers asthma, is currently detained in one cell
with former tubercular patients and prisoners suffering hepatitis and
other diseases.

The Observatory also remains concerned about the circumstances and
reasons as to why detained human rights defenders Mr. Hasan Huseynli,
Head of the NGO “Educative Centre ‘Intellectual Citizen'”, and Mr. Emil
Mammadov, Head of the NGO “Promoting Democracy”, sent letters on August 6
to President Ilham Aliyev, in which they express support for President
Aliyev and the army of Azerbaijan. The Observatory strongly fears that
they could have been subject to pressure in detention.

The Observatory expresses its deep concern about the ongoing detention
and denial of effective medical care to Ms. Leyla Yunus and Mr. Arif
Yunusov, which put their health at serious risk, as well as about the
condition of the other above-mentioned human rights defenders.
Accordingly, the Observatory calls upon the authorities in Azerbaijan to
provide adequate medical care to them as well as to release them
immediately and unconditionally, as their detention seems to only aim at
sanctioning their activities amidst a wave of increasing repression
against civil society organisations and representatives in Azerbaijan.