Statement By DROI Chair Elena Valenciano on the Release of Leyla Yunus
Photo courtesy of Memo.ru
On the occasion of the release of human rights defender, Ms Leyla Yunus, by the Azerbaijani authorties, the Chair of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights, Ms Elena Valenciano, welcomed the decision of the Baku Court of Appeal. She strongly reaffirmed that “the European Parliament has always regarded the charges and the court proceedings against Leyla and (her husband) Arif Yunus as unjust and unfounded and has repeatedly asked for their unconditional release and that all charges against them be dropped”. However, as Ms Valenciano, Mr Thorbjørn Jagland, the Council of Europe Secretary General and Mr Martin Schultz, the European Parliament President, highlighted it in their press statements, numerous other Azerbaijani human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience are still deprived of their liberty and severely suffering from deteriorating detention conditions.
Below is the press statement published by European Parliament DROI Commiittee:
Following the decision by the Baku Court of Appeal to conditionally release Leyla Yunus, Elena Valenciano (S&D, ES), Chair of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights made the following statement:
"I welcome the decision by the Baku Court of Appeal to conditionally release Leyla Yunus following today's court hearing. The European Parliament has always regarded the charges and the court proceedings against Leyla and Arif Yunus as unjust and unfounded and has repeatedly asked for their unconditional release and that all charges against them be dropped.
This is very good news but I also feel obliged to recall that a number of other Azerbaijani human rights defenders, journalists and activists still face similarly questionable charges, while several among them are also suffering from serious and deteriorating health conditions.
I hope that this initial step may signal a long-awaited positive turn with regard to the human rights situation and the ill-treatment of human rights defenders in Azerbaijan. The European Parliament will keep working towards that goal and stands ready to engage with our partners in Azerbaijan in a constructive manner."
To read the statement of European Parliament President Martin Schultz, click here.
To read the statement of Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, click here.
To follow the story of the release of Leyla Yunus, follow this link to our previous article published on the occasion of her release.
