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Charges Against Leyla Yunus are Trumped Up: Amnesty International
07.31.2014 12:57 epress.am
http://www.epress.am/en/2014/07/31/charges-against-leyla-yunus-are-trumped-up-amnesty-international.html
The treason charges against Leyla and Arif Yunus are trumped up and
are part of a process of on-going harassment against them in
connection with Leyla Yunus's activism, believes Amnesty
International.
"Leyla Yunus is yet another independent voice in Azerbaijan who, for a
long time, the government has tried to silence through threats and
intimidation. Failing to achieve this, they have now resorted to
trumped up charges and detention in order to punish her for
criticizing the government," said Natalia Nozadze, Amnesty
International's researcher on Azerbaijan.
The persecution of human rights activists continues unabated in
Azerbaijan, in spite of the obligations the country committed to as a
member of Council of Europe and currently a chair of its decision
making body, the Committee of Ministers, Amnesty International said
today.
"Today's detention is yet another example of the unrelenting
suppression of critical voices that is a regular feature of life in
the country. Members of the Council of Europe must challenge the
Azerbaijani authorities for flouting the principles of the human
rights body which Azerbaijan is chairing at the moment," said Nozadze.
Amnesty International currently counts at least 19 prisoners of
conscience behind bars solely for peacefully expressing their views.
Note, on July 30, a Baku court placed Leyla Yunus under a three-month
pre-trial detention and Arif Yunus with travel restrictions. According
to media reports, authorities charged Leyla and Arif Yunus with
treason and other charges related to fraud and tax evasion. According
to the spouses' attorney, the couple deny all charges against them.
Leyla Yunus has repeatedly said that the persecution against her is
tied to the desire of the country's authorities to "expose a group of
Armenian spies". She has been repeatedly questioned in the case of
Azerbaijani Russian-language newspaper Zerkalo reporter Rauf
Mirkadirov, who has been in custody for more than 3 months on charges
of "collaborating with Armenia's secret police".
07.31.2014 12:57 epress.am
http://www.epress.am/en/2014/07/31/charges-against-leyla-yunus-are-trumped-up-amnesty-international.html
The treason charges against Leyla and Arif Yunus are trumped up and
are part of a process of on-going harassment against them in
connection with Leyla Yunus's activism, believes Amnesty
International.
"Leyla Yunus is yet another independent voice in Azerbaijan who, for a
long time, the government has tried to silence through threats and
intimidation. Failing to achieve this, they have now resorted to
trumped up charges and detention in order to punish her for
criticizing the government," said Natalia Nozadze, Amnesty
International's researcher on Azerbaijan.
The persecution of human rights activists continues unabated in
Azerbaijan, in spite of the obligations the country committed to as a
member of Council of Europe and currently a chair of its decision
making body, the Committee of Ministers, Amnesty International said
today.
"Today's detention is yet another example of the unrelenting
suppression of critical voices that is a regular feature of life in
the country. Members of the Council of Europe must challenge the
Azerbaijani authorities for flouting the principles of the human
rights body which Azerbaijan is chairing at the moment," said Nozadze.
Amnesty International currently counts at least 19 prisoners of
conscience behind bars solely for peacefully expressing their views.
Note, on July 30, a Baku court placed Leyla Yunus under a three-month
pre-trial detention and Arif Yunus with travel restrictions. According
to media reports, authorities charged Leyla and Arif Yunus with
treason and other charges related to fraud and tax evasion. According
to the spouses' attorney, the couple deny all charges against them.
Leyla Yunus has repeatedly said that the persecution against her is
tied to the desire of the country's authorities to "expose a group of
Armenian spies". She has been repeatedly questioned in the case of
Azerbaijani Russian-language newspaper Zerkalo reporter Rauf
Mirkadirov, who has been in custody for more than 3 months on charges
of "collaborating with Armenia's secret police".