Your trusted source

The criminal charges levied against prominent human rights activist Leyla Yunus and her husband on July 30 are deeply concerning and represent a further restriction on peaceful civil society activities in Azerbaijan. This statement was released by US Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf placed on the website of the US Embassy in Azerbaijan.

The State Department  states that the charges appear to be connected with their participation in constructive people-to-people programs that aim to ease tensions and build confidence in the region.

“We urge the Government of Azerbaijan to respect the universal rights of its citizens, ensure they are afforded all the fair trial guarantees to which all citizens are entitled, and allow them to freely express their views in accordance with international human rights commitments and obligations,” reads the announcement.

Human rights activist Leyla Yunus was arrested on 30 July in her house yard. She was charged with state treason, tax evasion, illegal entrepreneurship, falsification of documents and large-scale fraud. Charges of state treason and large-scale fraud were also brought against her husband Arif Yunusov. Based on these charges the court arrested Yunus for three months.

US Helsinki Commission also has made an announcement condemning the arrest of the human rights activist and her husband.
“The charges filed against the Yunus’ are outrageous. Both Leyla and Arif are long-time supporters of people-to-people contact with Armenia, and the charge of espionage against them is absurd. We urge the Government of Azerbaijan to drop the charges and to stop the coordinated campaign aimed at the opposition, civil society and journalists in Azerbaijan who are peacefully exercising their right to freedom of speech and freedom of association,” says the announcement.

Earlier Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks wrote on his twitter that the arrest of Leyla Yunus once again reminded about the difficulties that human rights defenders face in Azerbaijan. “I urge the Government to comply with human rights obligations,” he wrote.

As Shahin Abbasov writes in his article on the American website EurasiaNet, in the latest months there has been a demonstrable attack on civil society activists and non-governmental organizations in Azerbaijan.

According to him some commentators explain this behavior by two factors – first, the resignation of Ukraine’s ex-President Victor Yanukovich in February as a result of mass protests in Ukraine; and second, the intention of the Azerbaijani authorities to quietly, without any protests hold European games of 2015 (summer Olympiad of European countries) – a project strongly favored by Ilham Aliyev.

“Shortly before his arrest Yunus together with a group of comrades publicly condemned the upcoming European games in Baku as unacceptable "in the authoritarian Azerbaijan, which violates every fundamental human rights and democratic freedoms." The group headed by Leyla Yunus turned to the European Olympic Committee and the office of the committee in the European Union, urging them to reconsider the decision on conducting the European Games in Baku,” says the article.

According to the author the Azerbaijani authorities apparently see no contradiction in that these events are taking place during Azerbaijan’s six-month chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe – the main human rights body of the continent.

Leyla Yunus’ arrest was condemned earlier by international human rights organizations Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Human Rights House.