Azerbaijan: Leyla Yunus' arrest extended until July 28

Today, the Nasimi District Court of Baku has considered the presentation of the Investigating Department for Grave Crimes of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) of Azerbaijan asking to extend the arrest of the rights defender Leyla Yunus by five months, her advocate Elchin Gambarov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"The motivation was standard: the arrest extension is needed for the continuation of investigative actions; Leyla Yunus 'may be hiding from investigators', etc. In fact, for a long time no investigative actions are conducted in her relation. Our arguments that home arrest could be quite sufficient; moreover, that Leyla Yunus is seriously ill, had no effect. The court extended her arrest until July 28," said Gambarov, noting that the defence intends to challenge this decision at the Court of Appeal (CoA).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Leyla Yunus, Director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy (IPD), and her husband Arif Yunus are accused of economic crimes and high treason. Leyla's health status is of great concern among her advocates and friends.

The health status of Leyla Yunus continues to be grave, said Gambarov. "She still has a high level of diabetes, liver problems, and periodic blood tension rises. Under SIZO (pre-trial prison) conditions, no effective medical care is possible," said the lawyer.

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