Baku Court Sentences Activists to Long Jail Terms

Leyla and Arif Yunus

BAKU””A court in Baku on Thursday convicted the husband and wife human rights activists, Leyla and Arif Yunus, sentencing them to lengthy jail terms.

Leyla Yunus was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison, while Arif was sentenced to seven years, following what is being viewed as a purely politically motivated prosecution and a trial that fell far short of international standards.

The Azerbaijani authorities should immediately move to set aside the convictions, drop all outstanding charges, and release the elderly, ailing couple, Human Rights Watch said Thursday.

“The fact that the verdicts against Leyla and Arif Yunus were totally predictable does not make them any less a travesty,”