Azerbaijan Extends Rights Activist's Pretrial Detention By Five Months

BAKU -- A court in Azerbaijan has reportedly ordered that human rights activist Arif Yunus be held in pretrial detention for at least five more months.

Media reports in Azerbaijan quote lawyer Afqan Mammadov as saying that in a ruling on February 23, the Nasimi District Court in Baku extended the pretrial detention period for Yunus until August 5.

Yunus, 60, is the husband of rights activist Leyla Yunus, who is also in jail.

He was arrested on August 5, 2014, several days after his wife's arrest.

Both have been charged with treason and deny guilt, saying the cases are politically motivated.

Leyla Yunus's lawyers say she has been subjected to beatings and denied medical care for advanced liver disease. 

Rights groups have urged the EU special representative for human rights to use his February 23 visit to press for the release of dozens of activists and journalists supporters say are political prisoners.

Source: rferl.org