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Azerbaijani human rights activist and director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) Leyla Yunus has announced about establishment of a center of resistance to repressions, the Azerbaijani news agency "Turan" reports.

According to the agency, she explained her initiative at the press conference by the "ineptness of the existing human rights system."
As Yunus noted, despite the human rights defenders’ activities, the number of political prisoners in Azerbaijan grows from year to year; their number now is more than 130 people.

She considers the tactics of some of the human rights activists, who have refused to criticize the authorities of Azerbaijan and are calling on the government to get engaged in the dialogue, erroneous and meaningless. This tactics give hope that the political prisoners will be released during the next presidential pardon.

The article notes that Yunus has proclaimed a new advocacy strategy, which suggests "not toadying" to the government.

"Do not turn to the government with conciliatory appeals, we should demand the legal right," she quoted the Soviet dissident Grigorenko.

Yunus encouraged the former political prisoners, their family members to attend the Center.

To develop specific tactics Yunus has scheduled discussion on June 11 on this topic in the IPD.

"The date was not chosen randomly - on this day, in the Helsinki Commission of the U.S. Congress, hearings on topic of the human rights’ situation in Azerbaijan are to be held," said the agency.

Speaking about the reasons for the establishment of the Center for resistance to repressions, Yunus explained that there is lack of an independent judiciary system in Azerbaijan and there is practice of fabrication of criminal cases on political grounds.

"The law enforcement is subordinated not to the laws, but to the orders and the political will. In this case, there remains no other way to combat the lawlessness except resisting it," Yunus states.

Referring to her involvement into the criminal case in connection with the arrest of the famous Azerbaijani journalist Rauf Mirkadirov, Director of IMD noted that the illegally confiscated passports are not yet returned. Arif Yunus is still not getting the money from his bank account and the couple is constantly subjected to surveillance.

According to the agency, Elshan Hasanov, former prisoner of conscience, declared he has joined the Center for resistance to repressions.

Note that in the evening of April 28 in the airport of Baku while departing to Doha famous Azerbaijani human rights activist Leyla Yunus and her husband conflictologist Arif Yunus were detained. They intended to fly to Paris, then to Brussels by the invitation of EU to participate in an international event. Leyla Yunus was taken to the Department of Grave Crimes of Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s office for questioning, where she spent 9 hours. Her husband who was detained with her was hospitalized in pre-infarction condition. Search of Yunus’ apartment and IPD office was conducted.

Note that Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe, Nils Muiznieks, U.S. State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan and human rights organizations, such as the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House and the International Federation of Human Rights Organizations (FIDH) have condemned the detention of human rights activist Leyla Yunus in Baku.