Le Monde: Hollande Raised Issue of Release of Leyla Yunus before Ilham Aliyev

On April 25, French President Francois Hollande came with a brief visit to Baku after Yerevan. It was a necessary diplomatic move, "to avoid the feeling of humiliation of the two neighboring countries," writes the French Le Monde.

In the previous visit to Baku in May 2014 Hollande already raised the issue of the human rights activist Leyla Yunus before Ilham Aliyev.

During the meeting with Yunus in the French embassy in Baku, Hollande handed her the Legion of Honor for the tireless defense of civil society. Three months after meeting with Hollande Leyla Yunus was arrested on charges of "treason" and "espionage" in favor of Armenia, and after five days her husband, historian Arif Yunus was also arrested.

Many international human rights organizations have asked Hollande to raise the issue of release of the couple Yunus before Aliyev. However, Aliyev's government is insensitive to the protests, given the interests of the Western powers in oil reserves in Azerbaijan.

Jean-Marie Burden, director of the French branch of Human Rights Watch in an open letter to President Hollande wrote: "We urge you to make clear that neither you nor French officials will go to the opening ceremony of the European Games, if all human rights defenders are not released," wrote Le Monde. -02D-