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Eyewitness: At an event, Armenian journalist told me I would be able to work with Leyla Yunus, gave me her number

04 August 2015 12:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Etibar Mammadov – APA. The Baku Court on Grave Crimes on Tuesday continued the trial of Leyla Yunus, the imprisoned director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), and her husband Arif Yunus, APA reported.

During the process presided over by judge Afghan Hajiyev, journalist Anna Dagidashvili was questioned as an eyewitness.

Anna said that in connection with her activities she used to make frequent visits abroad, participating in conferences.

“During one such event, an Armenian journalist came up to me and told me I would be able to work with Leyla Yunus and gave me her number. So I contacted Leyla Yunus and began to work with her. I was supposed to get interviews regarding the Naogorno-Karabakh conflict and present them to their magazine. I used to be paid AZN 150 to 170 for doing the work. Leyla Yunus told me to contact Rauf Mirgadirov so that he would tell me what questions I had to ask interviewees. She gave Rauf Mirgadirov’s number. Since then, I started to get the questions from him,” said the witness.

Journalist Akbar Hasanov said he had been to Armenia twice – in 2006 and 2007 – at Arif Yunus’ request.

“I know the Yunusovs very well. I accepted his proposals because I was interested. Arif Yunus and Azad Isazadeh were with me, too. Arif Yunus mostly used to join meetings organized by politician David Shahnazaryan, the former special representative of the Armenian president and the head of Solidarity Research Center. I used to write articles and get royalties. I fell out with them in 2012.

This was caused by Arif and Leyla Yunus’ humiliating the journalists. Both left for Baden-Baden. I asked them why they don’t take the journalists. Arif Yunus ironically said that “what will the journalists do there”. I saw that they treat us as members of lower class. After this, I cut off the relations with them.”

Imprisoned journalist Rauf Mirgadirov, as a witness, said in his testimony that he is acquainted with Yunusov’s family since early 1990s.

“I was invited to the events held in Armenia via Arif Yunus. Every year, events were arranged there. I went there or joined them via phone. In 2002, I asked Arif Yunus to join me to paid projects for getting remuneration. They did so. Besides, I had incomes from the projects of Peace and Democracy Institute.

Chairman of the Management Board of Unibank OJSC Faig Huseynov said that Leyla Yunus and the Institute had bank accounts.

Chairperson of the Committee to Protect the Rights of Oil Industry Workers Mirvari Gahramanli said that she wasn’t involved in the projects of the Institute that Leyla Yunus chaired. She added that as Women's Crises Center was not registered, grants allocated to the center from abroad were transferred to the account of the Society of Women of Azerbaijan for Peace and Democracy in the Near Caucasus. Leyla Yunus gave that money to Women's Crisis Center.

Then the testimony of Salim Pirimov, who was head of the Bank Standart board of directors in 2005-2007 and is currently living in Russia, was read. The testimony says that funds were transferred to the account of Arif Yunus twice from Armenia an twice from other foreign countries.

The letter of Matanat Azizova, head of the Women's Crisis Center, who is currently living abroad, was also read at the hearing. The letter says that as Women's Crises Center was not registered, grants allocated to the center from abroad were transferred to the account of the Society of Women of Azerbaijan for Peace and Democracy in the Near Caucasus. They met with Leyla Yunus several times and got the money from her. Azizova wrote that Leyla Yunus hold events in Armenia for several times and received grants for it. She said that Leyla Yunus didn’t give her money for the events held through the Peace and Democracy Institute.

The hearing will be continued on August 5.

A criminal case was launched against Leyla Yunus under articles #274 (treason), 178.3.2 (fraud with causing damage in the large size), 192.2.2 (illegal business with extraction of income in the large size), 213.2.2 (tax evasion with causing damage in large amount), 320.1 (Fake of certificate or other official document giving the rights or releasing from duties, with a view of its use or selling of such document, as well as manufacturing in same purposes or selling of counterfeit state awards of the Azerbaijan Republic, stamps, seals, forms) and 320.2 (use of obviously counterfeit documents provided in article 320.1) of the Criminal Code. Arif Yunus was arrested on 5 August 2014 over charges under articles #178.3.2 (fraud with causing damage in the large size) and 274 (treason) of the Criminal Code.

The criminal case on Leyla and Arif Yunus under article #274 (treason) has been sent to a separate trial. The Baku Court of Grave Crimes is currently considering the cases on fraud and other crimes.