VZCZCXRO8185
RR RUEHIK
DE RUEHKB #0917 3290941
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 250941Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2076
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 1527
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 3680

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.