Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 13
Trend:
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry condemns and considers unacceptable the politicization of the court's decision on the criminal case of Leyla and Arif Yunusovs. Azerbaijani foreign ministry's official representative Hikmet Hajiyev commented statement of UK Minister for Europe David Lidington.
Hajiyev said that allegations about restrictions to monitor the trial are unfounded. The trial took place in an open and free conditions.
All conditions have been created to monitor the trial by the media, political circles, representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations, accredited in Azerbaijan, as well as diplomats from EU states, Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
Due to health conditinon of Leyla and Arif Yunusovs during the investigation, from Dec. 2014 at the request of the EU Leyla Yunusova was under the supervision of Prof. of German hospital "Charite" Dr. Christian Witt and his medical team along with local medical services.
Now Christian Witt is in Azerbaijan and there will be a second medical examination of health of Leyla and Arif Yunusovs.
"Azerbaijan has fully ensured the independence of the courts and the rule of law. It is necessary to respect the court's decision. According to the law, every citizen has the right to appeal against the order", Hajiyev said.
The court session on a criminal case launched against Leyla and Arif Yunusovs continued August 13 at the Baku Court of Grave Crimes.
The session was chaired by Judge Afghan Hajiyev.
Under the court decision, Leyla Yunusova was sentenced to eight years and six months in prison with confiscation of property, and Arif Yunusov was sentenced to seven years in prison with confiscation of property.
The court sentence said that both individuals' bank accounts are confiscated, all their property in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and the Czech Republic are confiscated as well, and they aren't allowed to hold any office for two years after the end of their term of imprisonment.
Leyla and Arif Yunusovs will serve their sentences in a general-regime correctional labor facility.
Leyla Yunusova was charged under the articles 274 (high treason), 178.3.2 (fraud (by inflicting major damage)), 192.2.2 (illegal entrepreneurship), 213.2.2 (evasion from a large amount of taxes), 320.1 (forging a certificate or another official document providing rights or exempting from duties, in order to use or sell that document, as well as making for the same purposes or selling forged state awards of Azerbaijan Republic, stamps, seals, forms) and 320.2 (use of deliberately forged documents indicated in the article 320.1 of this Code) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
Arif Yunusov was charged under the articles 274 (high treason) and 178.3.2 (fraud) of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code.
A separate lawsuit was filed for both individuals on the criminal case under article 274 (high treason).