BAKU, Azerbaijan – Two prominent human rights activists in Azerbaijan have been charged with spying for Armenia, with one of them jailed for three months pending trial.
Human Rights Watch said the charges against Leila and Arif Yunus "are bogus and intended to silence them" and called for an end to "this campaign of intimidation against Azerbaijan's leading human rights defenders."
In a joint statement issued Thursday outlining the charges, the general prosecutor's office and national security ministry accused the couple of recruiting citizens of Azerbaijan to work for the secret services of Armenia. Tensions between the neighboring former Soviet republics remain high over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Leila Yunus was detained Wednesday and ordered held for three months. Her husband was allowed to remain free under police supervision.
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