Leyla Yunus: the stages of a big way
On 9 December 2015 the Baku Court of Appeal changed the real deprivation of freedom of Leyla Yunus and Arif Yunus into the conditional one.
Leyla Islam gyzy Yunus (Yunusova) is an Azerbaijani human rights defender, founder of Azerbaijani NGO “Institute for Peace and Democracy”. On 30 July detained in Baku, she is charged number grave accusations; in August 2015 she sentenced in 8.5 years in prison.
Leyla Yunus was born in 21 December 1955 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR. She graduated Historical Faculty of the Baku State University. In 1982 she defended PhD thesis on topic: “Trade expansion of England in basin on the Caspian Sea in the first half of 18 centure”.
In 1982-1992 she worked in the Institute for History of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan.
Leyla Yunus participated in dissident movement of the USSR. In 1987-1988 she was a correspondent of “Express-chronics”, samizdat newspaper. In the end of 1980-1990 her articles published in Russian emigrant editions “Russkaya mysl’ (Russian thought)” (France), “Strana i mir (Country and World)” (Germany) and “Novoe russkoe slovo (New Russian word)” (USA).
In 1989 she took part in establishing of the People Front of Azerbaijan, she was the only woman in the Board of the Front.
In 1990-1991 she was a member of Social-democratic Party of Azerbaijan.
From May 1992 to February 1993 she was a head of Information and Analytic Department of the Defence Ministry of Azerbaijan.
In 1993-1994 she participated in research programme in London Royal College of Great Britain.
In 1995 she set up NGO “Institute for Peace and Democracy” (IPD), involving in human rights issues, research and assistance of conflicts’ settlement. In 1998 the IPD initiated a creation of Azerbaijani campaign against the infantry mines, in 2001 – the Women’s crisis centre (as for April 2014, the Center served free of charges 18,000 women).
In January 2014 L. Yunus held presentation of the list of Azerbaijani political prisoners and ‘prisoners of conscience’ drawn up by the IPD. The IPD updates the list constantly.
On initiative of the human rights defender was established also the Centre of resistance to repressions (CRR) under the IPD. In 2014 the centre initiated an application of international sanctions against Azerbaijani officials, who breach human rights, and also had called the international boycott of forthcoming in June 2015 of the European Games in Baku.
Leyla Yunus is a member of the Assembly of the World Organisation against Torture, a participant of peacekeeping initiatives on problem of Karabakh conflict.
On 11 August 2011 the office of the IPD, which was in private property of L. Yunus, was destroyed. Property of the IPD, Campaign against infantry mines and Women’s crisis centre was broken. It happened after the fact that the IPD actively came out in protection of property rights of citizens, which had been dispossessed due to construction of the Winter Boulevard in Baku.
The defeat was preceded by L. Yunus publication of research about corruption mechanism during an illegal destruction in 2009-2011 of Baku habitants’ property. This research indicated who and how committed criminal crimes, in result of which more 60,000 citizens were illegally deprived their houses and apartments.
28 April 2014 Azerbaijani law enforcement officers detained Leyla Yunus and her spouse political scientist Arif Yunus. After detention her spouse felt bad and was hospitalized, and for nine hours Leyla Yunus had been interrogated in the Prosecutor’s General of Azerbaijan as a witness on the case of journalist Rauf Mirgadirov, who suspected in treason. After questioning Leyla Yunus was released. Security officers conducted search in the office of the IPD and in flat of the human rights activist, seized the documents, computers and print materials. In addition, being detained in Baku airport there were seized the passports of the spouse and the document on the property right on flat. Complaints of the Yunus’ spouse on this reason were not satisfied by Azerbaijani courts.
29 April 2014 the Norwegian Helsinki Committee disseminated a statement with critics of detention of Leyla and Arif Yunus. The Organisation addressed to the states with call to express their protest against the actions of Azerbaijani authorities.
Beginning from May 2014 Leyla and Arif Yunus received few times to appear in investigation. But the spouse had refused to appear demanding first to return them seized passports and document in flat.
30 July Leyla Yunus was detained in Baku. She was charged under Articles 274 (treason), 178.3.2 (fraud in significant size), 192.2.2 (illegal enterprise), 213.2.2 (evasion on tax payment), 320.1 and 320.2 (falsification of documents). Court made decision to arrest human rights activist. Arif Yunus wa also charged number of accusations. In connection with prosecution of the spouse of Yunus on 31 July the Institute for Peace and Democracy disseminated special statement.
The lawyers of the human rights defender repeatedly stated concerning harassment of their client in the Baku Investigative cell and deterioration of her health. On 4 August 2014 a lawyer of Leyla Yunus Javad Javadly informed on deterioration of her health due to acute form of diabetes mellitus and stated that detention in condition of the Investigative cell negatively impact her health. On 4 October the lawyers of the human rights defender made a joint statement, in which stated that detention of Leyla Yunus in conditions of Investigative cell poses a threat of life and health their client.
On 24 September five lawyers of Leyla Yunus stated on her beating in the Investigative cell by an employee of the institution.
On 7 October 2014 there were conducted the voting, in result of which Leyla Yunus was called one of the main contenders for the prize “For freedom of thought” named after Andrei Sakharov in 2014. The human rights activist was included in short-list of three contenders together activists of Kiev “Euromaidan” and Congolese doctor Deny Mukvege. Nomination of Leyla Yunus received supporting the famous human rights defenders Sergei Kovalev, Svetlana Gannushkina, Oleg Orlov and a Chairman of Moscow Helsinki Group Lyudmila Alekseeva.
24 October 2014 the Nasimi District Court of Baku extended a term of detention in custody of Leyla Yunus, being left her under arrest till 28 February 2015. Petitions of the defence concerning replacement of restraint measure of the human rights defender from arrest to home arrest the court also left without satisfaction.
13 August 2015 Leyla Yunus sentenced to 8.5 years in prison, and her spouse Arif Yunus sentenced to 7 years imprisonment.
After sentencing, Leyla and Arif Yunus’ lawyer Elchin Gambarov stated that the true reason for the persecution of the Yunus is their socio-political activities to protect the rights of political prisoners. On his opinion, the country’s authorities fear revolution and consider the non-governmental organisations, which operated with western donors, as enemies: “For these years the Institute for Peace and Democracy has provided a legal aid to hundreds victims of arbitrariness and violence. Despite the investigation severed in separate production a charge in espionage in favour of Armenia, nevertheless, the court invited the “witnesses” who asserted that Leyla Yunus could have cooperated with Armenians. What is more, there were no brought any facts concerning the spouse’s activities to the detriment of national security interests”.
On 8 September 2015 the UN Geneva office disseminated statement of Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein to Azerbaijani authorities, in which had called to an urgent releasing “everybode, who was deprives freedom only for carrying out his/her right to freedom of opinion, unions and peaceful assemblies”, and those, who had involved in protection of human rights of other people. As sample of political persecution directed “to suppression of independent voices in country” Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein pointed out the cases of Khadija Ismaylova, Leyla and Arif Yunus, Intigam Aliyev, Anar Mammadli and Rasul Jafarov.
On 9 October 2015 Human Rights Watch site published a statement, in which Azerbaijani authorities were advised to immediately withdraw charges of Yunus’ spouses and to release them.
9 December 2015 the Baku Court of Appeal mitigated the punishment to Yunus’ spouse, replacing the real terms of deprivation of liberty into conditional sentence for period of 5 years to each. In addition, there was quashed a charge under Article 320.1 (forgery of documents) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. Yunus was released in the courtroom.
In 2013 Leyla Yunus was awarded the Order of the Cavalier of the Legion of Honour of France for the struggle for human rights, and awarded the international prize named Theodor Hecker (The Hecker Prize is awarded every two years to people who have shown courage and valor in defending of freedom, democracy, peace and the ideals of humanism).
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