Rights defender Leyla Yunus arrested in Azerbaijan was reprimanded after asking for help

Leyla Yunus, the Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), who is kept at the SIZO-1 (pre-trial prison) of Baku, was reprimanded. The reason was in her demand to protect her from wanton attacks of her cellmate, said the lawyer Fariz Namazly.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported referring to another lawyer – Alaif Gasanov, who visited Leyla Yunus on September 3, she complained of the pressure from the cellmate and SIZO personnel, told about the absence of medical care and a plotted provocation with the aim to enclose her into the dungeon. On September 4, the spokesman of the Penitentiary Service refuted the lawyer's words, stating that the rights of all the detainees are duly observed.

"Leila's cellmate, a certain Nuriya Guseinova, earlier repeatedly convicted, began insulting and threatening Yunus for no reason, and throwing various items at her. Leyla knocked on the door and asked for help," said Namazly.

Leyla Yunus told the prison staff about the attack on her and wrote an explanatory note. On the following day, she was told that because of her "unreasonable" knocking on the door of the cell she was reprimanded. She was asked to sign a respective paper, but Leyla refused to do it.

The SIZO, where Yunus is kept, is preparing for the visit of a high-ranking foreign delegation, said Namazly with reference to the data received from his clients.