Summary: Final hearing (August 13)   The lawyers of Leyla and Arif Yunus made closing arguments, calling the charges against their clients unfounded and requesting their acquittal from the court; Arif Yunus made his final speech, thanking Leyla Yunus and speaking about his daughter, Dinara Yunus; The court issued a verdict sentencing Leyla Yunus to 8.5 years and Arif Yunus to seven years in jail, as well as confiscation of their property.

Azerbaijani journalist Idrak Abbasov’s story bears all the hallmarks of the typical forms of pressure used by an increasingly intolerant regime to silence its critics. Abbasov became a target for providing a rare critical voice in a media climate dominated by the state. As a result, Abbasov and his family faced years of pressure, ranging from harassment and threats to physical attacks. Nonetheless, he persisted in his efforts to tell the truth