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The Foreign Ministry of the UK expressed grave concern over the Azerbaijani human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus’ sentence. Commenting on the judgment, Minister for Europe, David Lidington, said he is deeply troubled by the sentencing handed down to Leyla and Arif Yunus. A number of aspects of the conduct of the trial reinforced the impression that the verdict was politically motivated. These included restrictions on diplomats and other observers accessing the court room. The apparent deterioration of Leyla and Arif’s health during the past year in pre-trial detention is also particularly worrying, he pointed.
“We regularly raise concerns over Azerbaijan’s poor human rights record and will continue to pay close attention to developments in this area,” the Minister stressed.

The Chair of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions, Isabel Santos, also condemned  the sentencing of Azerbaijani rights activist Leyla Yunus and her husband, Arif. “I am deeply saddened to learn of today’s politically motivated court decision lock away one of Azerbaijan’s most prominent and courageous human rights defenders, Leyla Yunus, and her husband, Arif. The Azerbaijani authorities apparently know no shame in violating the basic OSCE standards that should have protected the Yunuses, such as respect for human rights, freedom of speech and rule of law. The anti-democratic free fall continues in Baku, and I urge the government to immediately reverse this trend,” she said.

The US Department of State issued a statement  saying that the United States was deeply troubled by decision of an Azerbaijani court over the case of the Azerbaijani human rights advocates Leyla and Arif Yunus. The Department spokesperson John Kirby believes that the charges are solely connected with their human rights work and participation in constructive people-to-people programs aiming to ease tensions and build confidence in the region. “We are further troubled by reports of irregularities during the judicial process. We are particularly concerned about their health, and we urge the authorities to release them immediately on compassionate grounds,” Kirby said.

Anne Brasseur, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), condemned  the judgment of the Azerbaijani court. “I am shocked and outraged by the sentencing of Leyla and Arif Yunus,” she said. “The Council of Europe has repeatedly urged the authorities to stop the unprecedented crackdown on civil society – including reprisals and judicial harassment of human rights defenders and independent media – and address human rights problems in the country.”

“Despite these appeals, the situation has not improved. It has worsened,” Brasseur pointed and stressed that this put in question the authorities’ willingness to respect the fundamental values of the Council of Europe. “Today’s decision is further proof of serious and systemic human rights problems in Azerbaijan,” continued PACE President.

She further reminded that in its June 2015 resolution on Azerbaijan, the Assembly called the authorities to ‘put an end to systemic repression of human rights defenders, the media and those critical of the government’, to ‘release all political prisoners’ and to ‘stop the reprisal of journalists and others who express critical opinions’. “Today’s decision shows that these appeals have fallen on deaf ears in Baku. Therefore, I once again urge the authorities to take a step back and re-examine their approach to human rights, in line with the commitments they have made to the values and standards of the Council of Europe,” Brasseur concluded.

Nils Muižnieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, also condemned  the verdict handed down to the couple Yunus. “These sentences are a glaring illustration of the ongoing repression in Azerbaijan,” he said and called on the Azerbaijani authorities to end the repression and show more attachment to the values of human rights, democracy and rule of law that they have committed to by joining the Council of Europe.

The office of the Secretary General of the European Council Thorbjørn Jagland released a statement saying that Jagland will request from the Azerbaijani authorities the full details of the judgment and the evidence presented against the rights defenders. In view of the known systemic deficiencies in the Azerbaijani judicial system and the worrying trend of increasing cases against human rights defenders and journalists, which in turn has a chilling effect on freedom of expression in the country, Jagland is of the opinion that the conviction should eventually be examined by the European Court of Human Rights.

On 13 August 2015, Baku Court of Grave Crimes brought in a verdict against the Azerbaijani human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus, sentencing them to 8.5 years and 7 years’ imprisonment respectively. On 6 August 2015, during Leyla and Arif Yunus trial in Baku Court of Grave Crimes, prosecutor Farid Nagiyev called on the court to sentence Leyla Yunus to 11 years’ imprisonment and her husband 9 years finding guilty of swindle, tax evasion and abuses.

In 2014, Francois Hollande, the French President, met Leyla Yunus in Baku and awarded her with the Order of the Legion of Honor. Later, on 30 July, Yunus was arrested in the yard of her house. She was charged with high treason, tax evasion, illegal entrepreneurship, forgery and large-scale fraud. In January, media reported that the German doctor Christian Vitt confirmed that the arrested human rights defender suffered from a serious disease. However, in February 2015, Azerbaijani Nasimi District Court extended Leyla Yunus’ pretrial detention for five months. He husband, Arif Yunusov, also faces charges of high treason and large-scale fraud.

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Azerbaijani human rights defenders, spouses Yunus, sentenced to 8.5 and 7 years’ imprisonment