Leyla Yunus Declared Human Rights Defender of the Year

The Azerbaijan Political Prisoners Monitoring Center declared the Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy Leyla Yunus Human Rights Defender of the Year. She was awarded this title for years of her work dedicated to the protection of human rights and efforts to inform the international community about the problem of political prisoners in Azerbaijan in 2016, the Center said.

"Despite the pressure and repression by the authorities, and the arrest and torture that undermined her health, Leyla Yunus was not broken and continues to work in this direction most important for democracy," the Center's head told Turan. 

"We wish Leyla Khanum good health and success. The Certificate of Honor to award her the title Human Rights Defender of the Year will be presented to her on behalf of the former political prisoners," Hasanov said.

Note that in 2013, Leyla Yunus was awarded the Order of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor of France for fighting for human rights, as well as the Theodore Hecker international prize, which is awarded every two years to people who have shown courage and valor in the defense of freedom, democracy, peace and the ideals of humanism.

Leyla Yunus and her husband, Arif Yunus, were arrested in the summer of 2014 and sentenced to 8.5 and 7 years in prison, respectively. Subsequently, in December 2015 the real terms were replaced by a suspended sentence. In April 2016 they left for treatment abroad.

On December 27 the Azerbaijani Supreme Court partially met their appeal and returned the case to the Baku Court of Appeal.

The Political Prisoners Monitoring Center was established in October 2014 by a group of former "prisoners of conscience".   -06D--