Baku, Azerbaijan, July 31
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
While carrying out activity contrary to the national interests of Azerbaijan, Leyla Yunusova created a false world public opinion about the country, president of the National NGO Forum Rauf Zeyni told Trend on July 31.
He was commenting on the arrest of the director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, Leyla Yunusova.
Zeyni stressed that the head of each organization, each non-governmental organization and in general each person is responsible for their own actions.
"Leyla Yunusova and her entourage conveyed biased information to the world public, introduced the people to the world community whose crimes were proven, as political prisoners, disseminated false information about Azerbaijan, cooperated with the Armenians," he added.
"All except Armenians, Leyla Yunusova and her entourage supported holding "Eurovision" song contest in Azerbaijan," he said.
"Leyla Yunusova and her entourage gained support of some international organizations, which even began to believe that Azerbaijan really has such a situation as Leyla Yunusova says," he added.
"I believe that law enforcement bodies are investigating these issues objectively," he said.
"The Azerbaijani government has created all the conditions for conducting independent investigation," he said. "These conditions were created for the world public to know the truth. Leyla Yunusova's activity will be assessed under the law."
Leyla Yunusova was accused under articles 274, 178.3.2, 192.2.2, 213.2.2, 320.1 and 320.2, Arif Yunusov - under Articles 274 and 178.3.2 of the Criminal Code, according to the report.
In a joint statement of the Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of National Security, defendants Leyla Yunusova and Arif Yunusov's rights for legal aid, lawyer's services, envisaged by the criminal procedural legislation were ensured. Their rights will be protected by their own lawyers.
A criminal procedure law was not violated during the investigation, the report underlines.
Taking into account the fact that Leyla Yunusova tried to leave the country, not to testify without a valid reason and illegally pressured Matanat Azizova and others questioned as witnesses in the case, a preventive measure in the form of arrest was chosen for Leyla Yunusova upon a decision of the Nasimi district court. Taking into account Arif Yunusov's health, a preventive measure in the form of law enforcement surveillance was chosen for him.
Leyla Yunusova and her husband Arif Yunusov were arrested by law enforcement bodies of Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
Leyla Yunusova and her husband Arif Yunusov were repeatedly summoned as witnesses to testify in a criminal case, considered in the Heinous Crime Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan. But they deliberately did not appear to testify, the Prosecutor General's Office reported earlier.
Leyla Yunusova with her husband Arif Yunusov intended to leave the country on April 28, trying to evade investigation. This attempt was prevented.