Artsakh ombudsman criticizes Armenian leadership's silence on sham trials of prisoners in Baku

The key to resolving the issue of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan lies with the Armenian authorities, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan announced at a protest outside the UN office in Yerevan on Friday.

“This is indisputable. However, we are addressing our demands not only to the Armenian leadership, but also to other international actors, making it clear that people have expectations from them as well,” Stepanyan stated.

He also criticized the Armenian Foreign Ministry's recent statement, which voiced deep concern over the sham trials of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and other detainees in Baku. Stepanyan denounced their detention as a blatant violation of international law.

“International law explicitly upholds the right of nations and peoples to take up arms in pursuit of self-determination. If a people chooses this path to exercise their rights, there is nothing unlawful about it. What is happening in Baku—the entire trial process—is not a legitimate legal procedure but a political farce, driven by the personal vendetta of Ilham Aliyev,” Stepanyan asserted.

“The Armenian authorities remain inactive, silently clinging to a so-called utopian peace process that will never materialize. The more Armenia speaks of peace, the greater the demands imposed by Azerbaijan,” he added.