Ex-Artsakh ombudsman urges Armenian leadership to secure release of prisoners held in Baku

Former Artsakh Human Rights Defender Artak Beglaryan expressed deep concern over the torture and degrading treatment of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan at a protest outside the ICRC office in Yerevan on Monday.

"International law is on trial in Baku, but first and foremost, we are the ones on trial," he declared. "The rights, dignity and freedoms of the Armenian people and Artsakh are at stake."

The ex-ombudsman blamed collective failures for the detention of Armenian captives in Azerbaijan, but stressed that Armenia's leadership bears primary responsibility for securing their release.

Beglaryan condemned the sham trials and ongoing abuses of Armenian prisoners, urging both Armenian authorities and international organizations to act. He expressed hope that the ICRC would monitor Ruben Vardanyan’s health and persuade him to end his hunger strike in the Baku jail.

"The primary responsibility for securing the release and protection of prisoners lies with the Armenian authorities. Their continued captivity is, above all, a result of the Armenian leadership's failure and negligence," he stated.

Recalling the silence of the UN and other international organizations during Azerbaijan’s blockade and military takeover of Artsakh in 2023, he warned of its consequences, as Baku now seeks to stop the ICRC and UN operations in the country. 

Beglaryan urged the ICRC and other international human rights organizations to take concrete steps to hold Ilham Aliyev accountable in international courts.