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DemocracyAlerts

From time to time, the World Movement for Democracy issues alerts concerning participants and other colleagues who are, or may be, facing personal danger due to their work on behalf of democracy and for whom a vigorous response from around the world may be critical.

To see previous alerts go to www.wmd.org/democracyalerts/democracyAlerts.html.

On December 13, Interior Minister of Azerbaijan Ramil Usubov filed a court suit against the director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy (IPD), Dr. Leyla Yunus.  She is a World Movement participant and known human rights defender.  Minister Usubov claims that Dr. Yunus damaged the Azerbaijani police’s reputation in an interview, which was posted on the www.day.az news site on December 3, 2008.  In his claim, the minister states, “This interview was published as a result of the abuse of the freedom of speech in the mass media and without any justification, where false and slanderous data discredited business reputation of the police guarded and protected by the law and caused a lot of harm.”  He is demanding that Dr. Yunus publish a refutation, publicly apologize, and pay 100,000 manat (about $120,000) as compensation “for causing moral damage to the Interior Ministry.”  

Dr. Yunus asserts that the claim made by the Interior Minister was prompted by fear that the senior officer in the Interior Ministry might be brought to justice.  Her case was to begin on January 13, but has been postponed until January 23.  She will defend herself by all legal means, and will appeal to the European Court for Human Rights, if necessary.

On January 13, Azerbaijani human rights activist Hilal Mamedov wrote an open letter to Minister Usubov asking him to drop the law suit against Dr. Yunus.  Concerned individuals and organizations are also encouraged to write Minister Usubov on Dr. Yunus’ behalf.  Letters can be sent to local embassies or to the following address:

Interior Ministry of Azerbaijan
58 Rashid Beybutov Street
Baku

To read Minister Usubov’s claim against Dr. Yunus (in English and Russian), go to: www.wmd.org/documents/YunusSuit09.pdf

To read the interview in question (in English and Russian), go to: www.wmd.org/documents/YunusInterview09.pdf

To read Hilal Mamedov’s open letter to Minister Usubov (in Russian), go to: www.wmd.org/documents/YunusOpenLetter09.pdf