Lawyers disallowed visits to jailed Azerbaijani human rights defenderSeptember 23, 2014 - 14:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Lawyers of arrested human rights defender Leyla Yunus, Khalid Bagirov, Fariz Namazly, Javad Javadov and Alaif Hasanov, issued a joint statement to the press, Contact.az reported. According to the statement, on September 22, Khalid Bagirov tried to pay another visit to his client in the jail of Kurdakhani. However, the guards told him that Yunus is sick and refuses to see the lawyer. Afterwards, the lawyer was denied a chance to talk to her on the phone. Taking into account the refusal and conditions in which Leyla Yunus is kept, lawyers are seriously concerned with her state. "We urge relevant authorities for immediate intervention to allow meetings with lawyers," the statement reads. Azerbaijan, whose president since 2003 Ilham Aliyev is the son of the energy rich country's long-time strongman under Soviet rule, is accused by human rights campaigners of persecuting opponents and suppressing dissent. Its leaders are courted by Western countries and their energy firms as an alternative to Russia in supplying oil and gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe. The Azerbaijani government denies it violates human rights accords. In August, Amnesty International said rights activists seized in a new wave of arrests had fallen victim to tough new laws strictly limiting the operations of civil society groups campaigning for freedom of expression. Photo: Aziza Karimova Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. |