AZERBAIJAN: NOMINATION FOR 2009 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF

UNCLAS BAKU 000917 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CARC, DRL, S/GWI E.O.12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV KDEM KWMN AJ SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN: NOMINATION FOR 2009 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE AWARD ¶1. (SBU) Full Name: Leyla Yunusova Job Title/Association: Director, Institute for Peace and Democracy Date of Birth: December 21, 1955 Place of Birth: Baku, Azerbaijan Citizenship: Republic of Azerbaijan Address: 38-2 Sh.Badalbeily St., Baku 370014 Azerbaijan Phone number: +99412 497-32-00 Email: ipd@online.az Passport Number: p3244098 Languages: Azerbaijani, Russian, English, Turkish ¶2. (U) Embassy Baku would like to nominate Dr. Leyla Yunusova, Director of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, for the Secretary's International Women of Courage award. Dr. Yunusova has been actively involved in defending human rights since 1987, working with both international and domestic partners to advocate for basic human rights for every citizen of Azerbaijan. ¶3. (U) Prior to 1991, Dr. Yunusova worked as an underground activist advocating for Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union and for the rights of its citizens to democracy. She was the only woman on the board of the National Popular Front, the major independence movement. During the subsequent war over Nagorno-Karabakh, Yunusova worked with civil society activists in both Azerbaijan and Armenia to call for peace. After a ceasefire was signed in 1994, Dr. Yunusova founded the Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD) to fight for Azerbaijan's continued democratic development. IPD has become one of most well-respected NGOs in the region, and a leading voice on numerous human rights and democracy issues. ¶4. (U) Under the auspices of the IPD, Yunusova created the Women's Crisis Center. This is the first and only woman's crisis center in Azerbaijan, and aids victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. The WCC has provided free medical, psychological, and legal assistance to over 9,000 women since 2001. In 2009, as a result of her advocacy for two young girls who were victims of human trafficking, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan launched a large punitive lawsuit against Yunusova. Through her work with the international community and activists within Azerbaijan, Yunusova was able to negotiate with the Minister to eventually withdraw his lawsuit - a first for Azerbaijan's often embattled civil society. ¶5. (U) For over decade Yunusova has been a passionate advocate for political prisoners. After Azerbaijan joined the Council of Europe in 2001, Yunusova worked with the CoE to help 689 political prisoners gain freedom. She was also a leader in the successful effort to convince the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe to enlist a special rapporteur on political prisoners. She has been a leading voice for freedom of speech and for the release of several imprisoned journalists, including the two youth activists arrested this year after posting a satirical video on the internet. ¶6. (U) Yunusova was also a leader in the campaign during 2009 to prevent the government of Azerbaijan form passing a law that would severely restrict the activity of NGOs. Her ability to pull together all types of NGOs into an organized movement against the law was the decisive factor that convinced the government to abandon the abusive aspects of the draft. ¶7. (U) Embassy Baku is proud to nominate Dr. Leyla Yunusova. Questions regarding this nomination may be directed to Political Officer Joanna Ganson at gansonjh@state.gov.