AI expresses concern over health of arrested Azerbaijani rights defender Leyla Yunus

The international human rights organization "Amnesty International" (AI) has expressed its concern about the deterioration in health state of Leyla Yunus, who was arrested in Azerbaijan.

The human rights defender suffers from diabetes and nephatony, and she feels acute pains and got weaker and weaker, the AI reports in its statement with reference to the friends of the arrested activist. Leyla Yunus needs a special diet and medicine; however, the administration of the SIZO (pre-trial prison) in the village of Kyurdakhany on the outskirts of Baku refuses to hospitalize the activist and to provide her with adequate medical care.

The AI calls on the Azerbaijani authorities to urgently provide Leyla Yunus with necessary medical care, including the provision of drugs and hospitalization.

In turn, the Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan has denied the information about the poor conditions of Leyla Yunus in the Baku SIZO.

On August 12, 2014, the administration of the Baku SIZO provided conditions for the visit to Leyla Yunus of staff members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). "The ICRC staff members made no comments regarding the conditions of detention of the SIZO inmates," notes the statement made by the Penitentiary Service.