Court in Azerbaijan releases rights defender Leyla Yunus
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — An appeals court in Azerbaijan has released a prominent rights defender after converting her prison sentence into a suspended one.
Leyla Yunus and her husband were given prison sentences of 8 ½ and seven years respectively after being convicted in August of fraud and tax evasion.
International rights groups have condemned the case against them, which was widely seen as punishment for criticizing the dismal human rights record of the oil-rich former Soviet state.
Yunus' lawyer Elchin Sadygov told The Associated Press that the appeals court in the capital Baku changed her prison term into a suspended sentence. Her husband, 60-year old Arif Yunus, was released last month because of concerns about his health.
