Human rights activists condemned the pressure on and Leyla Yunus

Defenders Novella Jafaroglu, Saida Gojamanli, Saadat Banyanyarly, Arzu Abdullayeva,  Avaz Hasanov and Mirvari Gahramanli adopted an appeal to President Ilham Aliyev in connection with the detention of Leyla Yunus, Director of Peace and Democracy, and her husband Arif Yunus, at Baku airport on April 28. The appeal expressed serious concern  about rude and unethical appeal of police with Leyla and Arif Yunus.

Authors of the appeal noted that the detention  of Leyla Yunus  on the eve of Azerbaijan's chairmanship  in the CE Committee of Ministers (May 2014), the visit of the President of France, Francois Hollande to Azerbaijan, as well as  the  visit  of the CoE Secretary General Terborna Yangland to Baku gives  reason to enemies of Azerbaijan  to criticise the country and cause harm to its international image.

Human rights activists call on  the President AR to punish law enforcement officers who, through their mistreatment caused a serious problem to Arif Yunus’s health. All doubts about Leyla Yunus should be fairly and objectively considered by the investigating authorities under the direct control of the President,  the authors of the  statement believe. –06D--