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Human rights defenders / Statements / Azerbaijan / 2016 / December

Azerbaijan: Leyla Yunus: Defending human rights: A way of life

 

Geneva, 23 December 2016 (OMCT) - Leyla Yunus could not stand the abuses of the authoritarian regime in Azerbaijan, so she decided to devote her life to the defense of the rights of victims who suffer injustice. Although her path has proven to be littered with obstacles, she remains undeterred, and keeps challenging the Government of Azerbaijan on its failing human rights record.

 

Ms. Yunus first engaged actively to advocate for Azerbaijan’s independence from the Soviet Union in the late 1980s. Her hopes that the fall of the ex-USSR would bring democratic transition were rapidly dashed after President Heydar Aliyev came to power in 1993 and instituted a regime characterized by intolerance for dissent and disregard for civil liberties and political rights. “We were back to Stalin times,” she said.

 

In 1994 she co-founded the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) to document cases of political prisoners in Azerbaijan and draw international attention. She rapidly moved onto denouncing all human rights violations, including rampant corruption, human trafficking, and violations of minorities’ rights. As her Institute gained public recognition, this also brought her to the attention of the authorities.

 

Paying a high price

 

Over the years, Ms. Yunus and her family faced increasing harassment and threats as a result of her outspoken criticism of her Government’s abuses. Even her daughter Dinara was targeted, leaving her no other choice but to seek asylum in the Netherlands.

 

In 2011, the authorities unlawfully demolished her home and IPD office after she denounced forced evictions that were taking place in Baku ahead of the 2012 Eurovision Song Context. “A big bulldozer arrived and demolished our flat with everything inside - our archives, library, computers,” she recalled. “Yet we continued our work.”

 

2014 saw an upsurge in the repression of civil society ahead of the Baku European Games. Dozens of human rights defenders and journalists were arrested on politically motivated charges, including Ms. Yunus and her husband Arif. Both were finally released on medical grounds at the end of 2015 after being arbitrarily detained for nearly 18 months. “Everyone thought we would die in prison, even my daughter,” she said. Yet they still face treason charges, which has left them with no other viable option than to flee Azerbaijan. “We had no other choice. We had to leave. But I never thought I would have to leave my home, my motherland.”

 

Closing space for dissent

 

Like Ms. Yunus and her husband, several prominent human rights defenders in Azerbaijan were released in late 2015 and early 2016. However President Ilham Aliyev has pursued his systematic crackdown on all critical and opposition voices in an attempt to consolidate power.

 

Many Government critics, including political activists, defenders, journalists and bloggers, remain in prison, face travel bans or were forced to leave the country to avoid further persecution. New laws, adopted in 2014, have also allowed the Government to freeze bank accounts of independent NGOs and their leaders. It is now almost impossible to carry out independent human rights work within Azerbaijan.

 

Determined as ever

 

Despite the time she served behind bars under harsh conditions and her forced exile, Ms. Yunus refuses to remain silent in the face of reports of human rights violations that continue to emerge from Azerbaijan.

 

“I still document cases of political prisoners, which number is now higher than in Russia and Belarus. Some of them die as a result of torture. But the situation fails to receive the requested attention from the European Union and the Council of Europe.” Even in exile, Ms. Yunus continues to be seen as a threat to the Government. “Can you imagine that they are still afraid of me? They are still monitoring my flat in Baku,” she said.

 

Her integrity and determination remain undiminished and unrelenting. “We must struggle,” she said. “Because defending human rights it’s not my job, it’s my life.”

 

 

This article is part of a series of 10 profiles to commemorate International Human Rights Day, 10 December, and to recognize the vital role of human rights defenders worldwide.

 

To see the campaign video, please click here.

 



OMCT wishes to thank the Republic and Canton of Geneva and the OAK Foundation for their support. Its content is the sole responsibility of OMCT and should in no way be interpreted as reflecting the view(s) of the supporting institutions.

 

Properties

Date: December 23, 2016
Activity: Human Rights Defenders
Type: Statements
Country: Azerbaijan
Subjects: Arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances, Human Rights Defenders, Inequality, Threats, intimidation and harassment, Torture and violence

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