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EurasiaNet.org
July 31 2014
Azerbaijan Claims It Caught a Spy
July 31, 2014 - 12:44pm, by Giorgi Lomsadze
In the latest from Azerbaijan's ongoing series of arrests of
government critics, an outspoken rights defender, Leyla Yunus, has
been arrested, and accused of spying for enemy Armenia.
Yunus never made a secret of her attempts to promote peace with
Armenia through civilian initiatives, but what some call citizen
diplomacy, Azerbaijani prosecutors called treason. Prosecutors claimed
Yunus, who chairs the Institute for Peace and Democracy, was visiting
Armenia to impart sensitive information. Her husband, Arif Yunus, was
also charged on July 30, but was released pending trial.
Earlier this year, Leyla Yunus spoke up vocally for another imprisoned
alleged enemy of the state, journalist Rauf Mirkadirov. Police then
detained the Yunuses at the airport and have withheld their passports
since. Leyla Yunus has defied several subpoena requests, until she was
remanded on July 30. Prosecutors now accuse Yunus and Mirkadirov of
spying together for Armenia.
Dismissing the allegations, a whole slew of international human rights
group said that Yunus became yet another target in the ongoing binge
of detentions of government critics. "Leyla Yunus is yet another
independent voice in Azerbaijan, who, for a long time, the government
has tried to silence through threats and intimidation. Failing to
achieve this[,] they have now resorted to trumped up charges and
detention in order to punish her for criticizing the government," said
Natalia Nozadze, Amnesty International's researcher in Azerbaijan.
Human Rights Watch also condemned the move and requested that
Azerbaijan honor its obligations as a chair of the decision-making
body of the Council of Europe.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/69301
July 31 2014
Azerbaijan Claims It Caught a Spy
July 31, 2014 - 12:44pm, by Giorgi Lomsadze
In the latest from Azerbaijan's ongoing series of arrests of
government critics, an outspoken rights defender, Leyla Yunus, has
been arrested, and accused of spying for enemy Armenia.
Yunus never made a secret of her attempts to promote peace with
Armenia through civilian initiatives, but what some call citizen
diplomacy, Azerbaijani prosecutors called treason. Prosecutors claimed
Yunus, who chairs the Institute for Peace and Democracy, was visiting
Armenia to impart sensitive information. Her husband, Arif Yunus, was
also charged on July 30, but was released pending trial.
Earlier this year, Leyla Yunus spoke up vocally for another imprisoned
alleged enemy of the state, journalist Rauf Mirkadirov. Police then
detained the Yunuses at the airport and have withheld their passports
since. Leyla Yunus has defied several subpoena requests, until she was
remanded on July 30. Prosecutors now accuse Yunus and Mirkadirov of
spying together for Armenia.
Dismissing the allegations, a whole slew of international human rights
group said that Yunus became yet another target in the ongoing binge
of detentions of government critics. "Leyla Yunus is yet another
independent voice in Azerbaijan, who, for a long time, the government
has tried to silence through threats and intimidation. Failing to
achieve this[,] they have now resorted to trumped up charges and
detention in order to punish her for criticizing the government," said
Natalia Nozadze, Amnesty International's researcher in Azerbaijan.
Human Rights Watch also condemned the move and requested that
Azerbaijan honor its obligations as a chair of the decision-making
body of the Council of Europe.
http://www.eurasianet.org/node/69301