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Baku Court of Grave Crimes on Monday continued the hearing on the criminal case involving Leyla Yunus, who is Azerbaijan’s prominent human rights defender and imprisoned Founder and Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, and her likewise-imprisoned husband Arif Yunus, who are charged with large-scale fraud. 

Representatives from the US and German embassies and the European Union Office in Baku also attended the trial, reported Haqqin.az news agency of Azerbaijan.

After the start of the session, however, media representatives were removed from the courtroom.

Arif Yunus’ attorney, Afgan Mammadov, later told reporters that his client’s blood pressure had risen sharply during the court session.

The doctors, who had arrived in the courtroom, had administered several injections to Arif Yunus.

According to the investigation hypothesis, Leyla Yunus had “received grants from international organizations, and under the name of implementing joint projects with an Armenian center.” Subsequently, and through her husband, Yunus had supposedly used these funds to “improve the financial condition of those whom she tried to recruit for espionage activities.” Leyla Yunus, however, refutes these charges.

The Yunus couple is accused of high treason, too, but this case has been separated.

Leyla and Arif Yunus each face twelve years in prison.

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