EP to send delegation to Azerbaijan to support Leyla Yunus

In the near future, the European Parliament (EP) is to delegate its representatives to Azerbaijan to support human rights defender Leyla Yunus, included in the list of finalists for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2014. This was announced by Martin Schulz, the EP President.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Leyla Yunus was nominated for the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by Azerbaijani human rights defenders of the Political Party "Greens/European Free Alliance". The human rights defender was shortlisted together with three other candidates, included activists of the Kiev "Euromaidan" and Congolese doctor Denis Mukwege. Finally, the Congolese doctor was awarded the Sakharov Prize.

According to Martin Schulz, the delegation is to include representatives of all factions of the European Parliament, the "Contact.az" reports.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 30, Leyla Yunus, the Director of the "Institute for Peace and Democracy" (IPD), was detained in Baku. At present, she is under arrest. Leyla Yunus and her husband Arif Yunus, who was engaged in the IPD in solving the problems of conflictology and migration and who was also detained on August 5, were charged with a number of articles, including "treason". The "Amnesty International" (AI) has recognized the Yunus spouses "prisoners of conscience".