President Schulz on the release of Leyla Yunus

Met dank overgenomen van Voorzitter Europees Parlement (EP-voorzitter) i, gepubliceerd op woensdag 9 december 2015.

On behalf of the European Parliament, I warmly welcome the release of Azeri human rights defender Leyla Yunus, director of the Institute of Peace and Democracy in Azerbaijan.

On the eve of Human Rights Day, the release of Ms Yunus is wonderful news for all the defenders of human rights in Azerbaijan and worldwide. I note however that Ms Yunus, similarly to her husband, has been released only conditionally. The European Parliament reiterates its request for the charges against them to be dropped and their names fully cleared. The European Parliament, through its Foreign Affairs Committee, has spared no effort to alleviate her detention conditions due to her worsening health.

We encourage the Azeri authorities to continue on this path and show good will by releasing the remaining prisoners of conscience.