Lawyer: Suicide attempts reported among Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan

Several Armenian prisoners held in Baku have attempted suicide, warns human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan, who represents them at the European Court of Human Rights.

Sahakyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Wednesday that the alarming news emerged after the Armenian prisoners were recently allowed to speak by phone with their families. While declining to name individuals, she clarified that the attempts were not among the former Artsakh leaders, but rather among other prisoners.

“Unfortunately, I cannot provide specifics. What I can say is that since the suspension of visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross, there have been such attempts and they have been repeated. This clearly demonstrates the direct link between the halt of ICRC activities, the resulting isolation and suffering endured by Armenian prisoners,” Sahakyan emphasized.