Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan issues reprimand to Leyla Yunus

The Penitentiary Service of Azerbaijan has refuted the statement of the arrested rights defender Leyla Yunus that she is exposed to physical and moral pressure at the Baku SIZO (pre-trial prison). The release of the Service says nothing about the health status of Leyla Yunus; however, it reports that Leyla was reprimanded for unethical behaviour in relation to medics.

A sharp deterioration of her health was reported on November 22 by her advocates. However, on November 24, the Penitentiary Service refuted the information. On December 2, some media issued Leyla's statement that on November 25 she was visited in her cell by persons in civilian clothes, who abused her. On December 3, her advocate Ramiz Mamedov said that he was not admitted to see his client and expressed concern about her health.

"The information about the visit to the cell, where Leyla Yunusova (Leyla Yunus, – note of the "Caucasian Knot") is kept, by several persons in civilian clothes, who committed offensive actions against the defendant, does not reflect the reality... These experts were invited to the SIZO on the basis of the application of Yunusova and her advocates to examine her health condition," says the statement of the Penitentiary Service.

The investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova draws attention in her Facebook status to the fact that earlier the Chief Medical Department of the Ministry of Justice stated that there were no serious health problems with Leyla Yunus and that she was under medical supervision.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.