Sport for Rights coalition condemns conviction of human rights defenders Leyla and Arif Yunus
The Sport for Rights' campaign, of which OMCT is member, has been established to raise the problem of political prisoners in the context of the forthcoming international sporting events to be hosted by Azerbaijan.
JOINT STATEMENT
Azerbaijan: Sport forRights coalition condemns conviction of human rights defenders Leyla and ArifYunus
The Sport for Rights coalitioncondemns the conviction and harsh sentencing of Azerbaijani human rightsdefenders Leyla and Arif Yunus on 13 August by the Baku Court of Grave Crimes.After a trial marred by irregularities and due process violations, the courtconvicted the couple on politically motivated charges including illegalentrepreneurship, tax evasion, and fraud, and sentenced Leyla to 8.5 years injail, and Arif to seven.
"These sentences are outrageous, and aimedpurely at sanctioning the legitimate work of these two Azerbaijani human rightsdefenders. While the heavy sentences are no surprise, they serve to further undermineAzerbaijan's complete disregard for the international standards of fair trialand due process", said Souhayr Belhassen, FIDH HonoraryPresident.
"The unprecedented speed with which the Yunustrial was carried out is appalling and tells us a lot about its quality. Thejudgment is full of inaccuracies due to a total lack of examination of theevidence provided. Violations of international standards of the right to a fairtrial were obvious”, declared Gerald Staberock, Secretary General ofOMCT.
Leyla, the Director of the Institutefor Peace and Democracy, and Arif, a historian and activist in his own right,were arrested in July and August 2014, followingLeyla's public calls for a boycott of the inaugural European Games, which wereheld in Baku in June 2015. Sport for Rights considered them 'Prisoners of theGames'. Leyla had alsobeen working to compile a detailed list of cases of political prisoners, andwas a strong advocate of fundamental freedoms, property rights, and peacefulresolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The couple have been held inseparate facilities; Leyla in the Kurdakhani investigative detention unit, andArif at the Ministry of National Security’s investigative prison. Leylareported being mistreated on several occasions, and Arif reported poor conditions.Both Leyla and Arif suffer from serious health problems, which have sharplydeteriorated in detention, and have caused delays during trial proceedings,including on the day of the verdict, when Arif fainted and was attended to by adoctor. Nonetheless, the authorities resisted calls for their release onhumanitarian grounds, and the court rushed to issue a verdict.
“The health situation of Leyla and Arif Yunusis extremely worrying and deserves the highest attention of the internationalcommunity. Whilst we are thankful for the international attention brought tothe case by some voices, we remain concerned by the lack of action of theCouncil of Europe and the European Union. It is clear that the climate of fearhas reached a new low with these sentences and the killing of journalist RasimAliyev”, said Ane Tusvik Bonde, Regional Manager for EasternEurope and Caucasus of the Human Rights House Foundation (HRHF).
The Yunus' conviction takes place amidst a broader human rightscrackdown in Azerbaijan, in the aftermath of the European Games and the run-upto November's parliamentary elections. The same week as the verdict in theYunus’ case, journalist Khadija Ismayilova also stood trial, facing seriousjail time on politically motivated charges, and Rasim Aliyev, journalist andChairman of the Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety, died in hospital afterbeing severely beaten. With less than three months until the parliamentaryelections, the Azerbaijani authorities seem determined to continue workingaggressively to silence the few critical voices left in the country.
The Sport for Rights coalition reiterates its call for the immediate andunconditional release of Leyla and Arif Yunus, as well as the other jailedjournalists and human rights defenders in Azerbaijan. Sport for Rights furthercalls for sustained international attention to the country and increasedefforts to hold the Azerbaijani regime responsible for its human rightsobligations in the pre-election environment and beyond.
Supporting organisations:
ARTICLE 19
Canadian Journalists for FreeExpression
Civil Rights Defenders
Freedom Now
Front Line Defenders
Human Rights House Foundation
Index on Censorship
InternationalFederation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human RightsDefenders
Norwegian Helsinki Committee
PEN American Centre
Platform
Solidarity with Belarus InformationOffice
WorldOrganisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human RightsDefenders