Prosecutor requests outrageous jail sentences for Leyla and Arif Yunus

AZERBAIJAN: Prosecutor requests outrageous jail sentences for Leyla andArif Yunus

Paris-Geneva,August 7, 2015 – Yesterday the fourth hearing in the case against Leyla Yunusand Arif Yunusov took place, and it proved to be yet another example of how theAzeri regime makes a mockery of justice, the Observatory for the Protection ofHuman Rights Defenders said today.

OnAugust 6, the Prosecutor asked the Baku Grave Crimes Court to sentence Leyla Yunus,Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) and a member of OMCTGeneral Assembly, to 11 years in jail, while 9 years were requested for herhusband Arif Yunusov, Head of the Conflictology Department of IPD.The next hearing is scheduled for August 10, when defence lawyers are expectedto make their final plea.

Ms. Yunus is wrongfullyaccused of large scale fraud (Article 178.3.2 of the Azerbaijan Criminal Code),fake manufacturing or selling of official documents (Articles 320.1 and 320.2),large scale tax evasion (Article 213.2.2) and illegal business with extractionof income in large size (Article 192.2.1). Mr. Yunusov is accused oflarge-scale fraud (Article 178.3.2).

“Since the end of the Baku Games, the repressionagainst critic voices amongst the Azeri civil society has intensified.Authorities have recently confirmed harsh jail sentences for human rightsdefenders such as Rasul Jafarov and Intigam Aliyev, in speedy appeal hearings.We fear that Leyla and Arif will face the same fate”. FIDH Honorary President SouhayrBelhassen said today. “Shamelessly, Azerbaijan is fast moving towards afull-blown dictatorship”.

On July 27, around 25 localand international observers and journalists were prevented from entering thecourtroom, including the Observatory's judicial observer, a number ofdiplomats, as well as journalists from the BBC, to mention a few. The hearingwas held in the smallest courtroom in the Courthouse, although some of thelarger ones were available at the time. The same happened in the hearing ofAugust 3.

“Weare dismayed about this new trend which is extremely evident in the hearingsfollowing the European Games, namely denying international observers access tothe courtroom or undermining their effective independent monitoring presence bynot allowing in their interpreters, which amounts to a serious violation of theprinciples of transparency and publicity of judicial debates”,OMCT Secretary General Gerald Staberock added.

Similar limitations haverecently taken place in the trials against other emblematic human rightsdefenders, such as the first hearing in the case of investigative journalist KhadijaIsmayilova, as well as the appeal hearings in the case against RasulJafarov.

Ourorganisations call on the Azerbaijan authorities to put an end tothis crackdown on civil society and to release all human rights defendersdetained in the country, including Leyla and Arif.

For more information, pleasecontact:

· FIDH: Arthur Manet / Lucie Kroening:+33143 55 25 18

· OMCT: Miguel Martín Zumalacárregui : +4122 809 49 24