Leyla Yunus

Leyla Yunus
Born (1955-12-21) December 21, 1955 (age 68)
Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR
Other namesLeyla Yunusova
Occupationhuman rights activist
Organization(s)Institute of Peace and Democracy
Known forcivil society engagement, helping citizens affected by forced evictions in Baku

Leyla Islam qizi Yunusova (née Vəliyeva; born 21 December 1955),[1] better known as Leyla Yunus, is an Azerbaijani human rights activist who serves as the director of Institute of Peace and Democracy, a human rights organisation. She is particularly known for her work helping citizens affected by forced evictions in Baku, on whose behalf she organized several small protests.[2]

She was one of the founders of the modern Popular Front party.[3]

In July 2014, the Azerbaijani authorities jailed Yunus under allegations of fraud and tax evasion, which are charges widely regarded as dubious.[4] After being sentenced to 8.5 years in jail on 13 August 2015, Leyla Yunus was released on grounds of her deteriorating health on 9 December 2015, with a court converting her sentence into a suspended one.[5]

  1. ^ "ЮНУСОВА Лейла - Биография - БД "Лабиринт"". www.labyrinth.ru. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Waal, Thomas de (2013), "Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan through Peace and War", Black Garden, New York University Press, p. 87, doi:10.18574/nyu/9780814770825.001.0001, ISBN 978-0-8147-7082-5
  4. ^ "OSCE: Azerbaijan 'Makes Mockery' Of Democratic Aspirations". RFE/RL. Radio Free Europe/Radio Europe. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  5. ^ RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service (December 9, 2015). "Rights Activist Leyla Yunus Freed From Jail In Azerbaijan". Retrieved 21 February 2016.