Nineteen Armenian human rights NGOs and individual advocates on Friday jointly appealed to international organizations and foreign ambassadors in Azerbaijan, urging them to oversee the trials of Armenian detainees in Baku.
Criminal hearings are currently underway in Baku involving former leaders of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. All the defendants, who are ethnic Armenians, face charges under various articles of Azerbaijan’s criminal code, including allegations of committing war crimes against Azerbaijan and its people.
The civil groups directed the appeal to high-ranking officials and prominent organizations, including the UN Secretary-General and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. It raises significant concerns about Azerbaijan’s judicial processes, particularly in cases involving Armenian detainees. The letter also highlights severe procedural violations in these trials, including a presumption of guilt without evidence, denial of access to case files in a language understandable to the defendants, inadequate legal representation, and the absence of the right to an independent and impartial tribunal.
Furthermore, the appeal highlights that legal assistance provided by Azerbaijan lacks independence and efficacy, with independent lawyers facing intimidation and obstacles in carrying out their duties.
After the 2020 Artsakh war, the issue of prisoners of war (POWs) and detainees has continued to be a significant source of dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Article 8 of the trilateral statement signed on November 9, 2020, by the leaders of Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan, requires the swap of POWs, hostages, detainees, and the return of deceased individuals’ remains.
The Azerbaijani side was reported to have captured Armenian servicemen and civilians during its September 2022 attack on Armenia and the assault on Artsakh on September 19, 2023. Between 2020 and 2023, Azerbaijan detained over 200 Armenians, including both servicemen and civilians from Armenia and Artsakh.
Following the 2020 Artsakh war, over three dozen Armenians, mainly military personnel, underwent trials in Azerbaijan. Most of them were repatriated to Armenia after their sentencing. Human Rights Lawyer Anna Melikyan highlighted that all repatriated prisoners consistently reported mistreatment and torture in Baku, including abuse by medical personnel, often to extract confessions. The two countries have also filed competing racial discrimination claims between each other before the International Court of Justice.
