13 January 2015, 09:13
Arif Yunus marks his 60th birthday in custody in Azerbaijan
On January 12, Arif Yunus, a conflictologist and historian, a researcher at the Institute of Peace and Democracy (IPD), who is accused Azerbaijan of treason, was 60 years old. He marked his birthday in the SIZO of the country's Ministry of National Security (MNS). Public activists believe that the accusations against Arif Yunus are unjustified; and Yunus himself refused to testify to investigators.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Arif Yunus, was engaged at the IPD in problems of conflicts and migration, was detained on August 5, 2014, after on July 30 his wife Leyla Yunus, the head of the IPD, was detained in Baku. On October 29, 2014, the Nasimi District Court of Baku upheld the request of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Azerbaijan and extended the Arif Yunus' arrest till March 5, 2015.
Starting the day of arrest, Arif's rights were defended by the lawyer Khalid Bagirov. However, on December 10, 2014, the Bar Association suspended his powers. Now Yunus is defended by the lawyer Afgan Mamedov.
Samir Kazymly, the coordinator of the Alliance in Defence of Political Freedoms treats Arif's persecution as unfair.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
