31 July 2014, 22:50
Defence of Leyla Yunus insists on her release from custody
In the opinion of law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan, Leyla Yunus, the Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), accused of treason, should be kept in custody, since she had tried to leave the country, evaded the investigation and may influence the witnesses. Her advocate is sure that Leyla should be released from custody in connection with a threat to her health.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Leyla Yunus was detained on July 30 in Baku. She and her husband Arif Yunus were indicted under a number of articles, including treason.
The Yunus spouses are prosecuted within the case of journalist Rauf Mirkadirov, who "since April 2008 willingly helped special services of Armenia, thus committing treason", says the statement of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) and the Ministry of National Security (MNS) of Azerbaijan.
Leyla Yunus is also accused of illegally cashing funds received from donor organizations, while being the Director of the IPD.
The statement of law enforcement bodies is a "compilation of logically non-related pieces of information and numerals," said the lawyer Khalid Bagirov, the spouses' advocate. On August 1, he plans to challenge Leyla's arrest.
According to the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, the charges presented to the Yunus spouses may result in their life imprisonment.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
