Leyla Yunus released

After spending nearly 18 months in prison, Azeri human rights defender Leyla Yunus was released. Today Baku Appeals Court decided to choose suspended sentence of 5 years as a precautionary measure for Leyla and Arif Yunus.

Answering the question of one of the reporters, Leyla Yunus said – “I feel as a colony powder”, and then she continued with famous lines of Tutchev’s poem: “It is not given to us to predict how our words will be responded. And answering the question how she assesses the ruling of the Court she said – fantastic.

Lawyer couple claims that they appeared in jail exclusively for criticizing the Government and their criminal prosecution is politically motivated. According to several media reports, defendants and their lawyers’ claim during close hearing the court failed to confirm the guilt of the spouses.

Imprisonment of Leyla and Arif Yunus got unprecendented reaction especially out of Azerbaijani. Reputable human rights organizations, European institutions, politicians constantly urged Aliev’s administration to immediately release them.