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On 9 December, Baku Court of Appeal ruled to change the preventive measure against Leyla Yunus, well-known Azerbaijani rights defender, Haqqin.az reports.

According to the report, Yunus was released right from the courtroom. Another preventive measure, suspended sentence, was chosen against her.

Baku bureau of RFE/RL reports that the court handed down a 5 years suspended sentence to Leyla Yunus, the director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy, and her husband Arif Yunus.

On 12 November, Baku Court of Appeals made a decision to release Arif Yunus, one of the best-known political prisoners in Azerbaijan, from jail. His arrest was changed with a signature for not leaving the country. A letter from the Main Medical Department of the Justice Ministry about the aggravation of Arif Yunus’ health served a ground for the court decision. The Justice Ministry reportedly referenced the German doctor Christian Witt’s conclusions, who has long been watching over Arif and Leyla Yunus’ health. Arif Yunus told the court he had declared a hunger strike since 6 November and does not take medicine because his ill wife Leyla Yunus did not receive the necessary medical aid.

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. In 2014, Francois Hollande, the French President, met Leyla Yunus in Baku and awarded her with the Order of the Legion of Honour. Later, on 30 July 2014, 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. In February 2015, Nasimi Court extended his pre-trial detention to 5 August 2015.