The Baku Court of Grave Crimes on Wednesday held a preliminary hearing on the case of Leyla and Arif Yunus.

The hearing was held under tightened security, reported Contact.az news agency of Azerbaijan. Journalists and members of foreign diplomatic missions had to hand over their handbags, mobile phones, and identity cards.

The Yunus couple were placed in a glass cage, and they looked very sick.

The attorney of Arif Yunus motioned for the dropping of criminal proceedings against his client, and in the absence of corpus delicti. As per the attorney, the actions of Arif Yunus did not constitute any fraud crime, since this crime involves embezzlement through abuse of confidence. From the materials of the case, it is not clear whose property Arif Yunus had appropriated and what the breach of trust was about, he contested.

The attorney of Leyla Yunus, on the other hand, motioned for the release her client either under house arrest or on bail. He pointed to the serious health condition of Leyla Yunus who underwent six operations, surgeries on both eyes, and who suffers from diabetes and hepatitis C.

The court, however, overruled all motions, and set the next hearing for July 27.

Arif Yunus, a staff member at the Institute for Peace and Democracy, and his wife, Azerbaijani human rights activist Leyla Yunus, are accused of secretly collaborating with individuals, to coordinate operations with the Armenian special services.