Opposition leader: Armenian authorities gave carte blanche to Azerbaijan in 2023

Seyran Ohanyan, the leader of the opposition Hayastan parliamentary faction and a former defense minister, called for national consolidation and pressure on the Armenian government to support Armenian prisoners, including Artsakh's military and political leaders, who are facing sham trials in Azerbaijan.

“The only leverage available lies with the authorities, who are entitled to negotiate the fate of Artsakh and its military-political leadership standing sham trial in Baku,” Ohanyan told reporters at an event in Tsitsernakaberd commemorating the victims of the Sumgait massacres on Friday.

“We must unite. The Armenian government bears primary responsibility for the current situation. Our main goal should be to force the authorities to express the suffering of the people and stand with our compatriots during these show trials.”

Ohanyan also emphasized that when Azerbaijan launched its so-called “anti-terrorist operation” in Artsakh in September 2023, Armenian officials claimed there was no threat to civilians, effectively granting Azerbaijan’s leadership a carte blanche to seize Artsakh and carry out ethnic cleansing against its Armenian population.