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Today, a court in Azerbaijan sentenced Leyla Yunus and her husband Arif Yunus to many years in prison. They are long-time civil society actors. Their sentencing today is a symbol of the targeted repression against leading civil society voices in Azerbaijan since the presidential election of October 2013.

On July 24, 2015 Baku Court on Grave Crimes held pre-trial session into the case of Khadija Ismaylova, Azerbaijan investigative journalist. The three member court collegium considered motions of the parties. Not everybody could attend the session due to small space in the court room and high number of attendees.

On July 15, Baku Court on Grave Crimes held hearing into the cases of Leyla and Arif Yunus, famous couple of Azerbaijan human rights defenders. Leyla is charged for illegal entrepreneurship, evasion from payment of taxes, fabrication of documents and swindle. The last charge is imposed on her husband too. The prosecutor’s office blames them in high treason too, though it is a separate case and preliminary investigation is still going on.

95 lawyers from 24 countries call for the immediate and unconditional release of human rights lawyer Intigam Aliyev. He has been in jail in Azerbaijan since 8 August 2014.

On June 12, law enforcement officers did not allow Georgian and Azerbaijan human rights defenders to organize peaceful protest demonstration in Heydar Aliyev Square in Tbilisi. Organizers wished to remind the world that human rights are blatantly breached in Azerbaijan, where first Olympic Games were opened with grand ceremonies on that day, June 12.

On June 12, 2015 Georgian police illegally created obstacles for the Human Rights House Tbilisi and its member organizations to hold peaceful demonstration in Heydar Aliyev Square in Tbilisi.

According to the data by February 2015, there are about 85 thousand IDP families registered in Georgia. Among them, about 30 000 families with active IDP status have either received a flat or financial compensation but the rest 55 000 families still wait for the flat.

Azerbaijan is hosting first European Games. On June 12th, grand welcoming ceremony was held in the specially built arena in Baku. Nevertheless behind the glaring glassy buildings for European games there are serious human rights issues in the country – according to international organizations Azerbaijan has tens of political prisoners. Human Rights Defenders consider that President Ilham Aliyev used the Olympic Games to divert attention of world leaders from human rights problems in Azerbaijan.

In March 2014, Jehovah Witnesses received permission from Terjola district administration to construct a royal hall. Several weeks after the construction started, clergymen of local Orthodox Church, their parish, school children and teachers organized protest demonstration – they oppose construction of the chapel of Jehovah Witnesses in the town center.