ECtHR recognizes violation of Yunus spouses' rights

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) recognized a violation of rights of Azerbaijani human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus under several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Strasbourg Court obliged the authorities of Azerbaijan to pay the human rights defenders the compensation in the amount of 51,000 euros.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in August 2015, Leyla Yunus was sentenced to 8.5 years of imprisonment, and political analyst Arif Yunus – to 7 years of imprisonment. On December 9, 2015, the court replaced both sentences with five-year suspended sentences. The sentenced human rights defender challenged the new sentences as well.

"Leyla Yunus, the director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), and Arif Yunus, the director of an IPD's department, living in political emigration in the Netherlands, appealed against their arrests. They associated criminal proceedings against them with their criticism of the country's authorities," the ECtHR declared in its decision.

Moreover, in August 2014, the Yunus spouses were arrested on the charge of fraud and tax evasion.

Khalid Agaliev, a lawyer from the Media Rights Institute, noted that the human rights defenders' complaint was granted in almost all the claims.

Elshan Gasanov, the head of the Centre for Monitoring Political Prisoners called the decision of the ECtHR fair. "Arif and Leyla Yunus have done a lot for the human rights protection in Azerbaijan and the development of civil society. They had to leave the country, but they continue working abroad," Elshan Gasanov added.