Azerbaijan expected to provide information on Armenian captives in January, lawyer says

Azerbaijan is expected to provide fresh information on the detention and health conditions of Armenian prisoners in January following a request for an extension granted by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), according to Siranush Sahakyan, a lawyer representing Armenian detainees before the court.

In an interview with Panorama.am on Thursday, Sahakyan said that families of Armenians held in Azerbaijan have been deprived of direct information since June, when visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were effectively halted.

“Relatives have had no direct contact with them since June, when Red Cross visits were effectively banned, even though the ICRC officially ceased its operations in Baku several months later, in September,” Sahakyan said.

According to Sahakyan, her legal team has obtained limited documentary information through the ECHR.

“We received information in July, when the court set a new deadline for updated submissions from the Azerbaijani authorities in November,” she explained. “No information was provided. Azerbaijan requested additional time to finalize the data and arrange translations and we are now expecting the report in January.”

Sahakyan cautioned that the reports submitted by Azerbaijan do not reflect independent assessments based on direct monitoring.

“We have repeatedly identified clear inaccuracies and inconsistencies in documents prepared by Azerbaijani officials or doctors,” she said. “While information is being formally submitted, its credibility is highly questionable. At present, there is no reliable or trustworthy channel for obtaining accurate information and Armenian detainees are being held in conditions of complete isolation.”

According to Sahakyan, consular visits remain the only viable means of breaking the isolation, including through third-party mediation. International practice allows states to arrange consular access through a third country, she said.

“A few months ago, we approached the Swiss Confederation, which expressed readiness to carry out such a humanitarian mission on the condition that the request be submitted by the Armenian authorities,” Sahakyan said. “Regrettably, this right is not being exercised in the interests of Armenian detainees.”

She added that around two dozen organizations had previously appealed to the Armenian Foreign Ministry to formally approach a neutral country, including Switzerland.

Sahakyan also referred to recent visits to Baku by Armenian civil society representatives, who reported that they sought meetings with Armenian prisoners but were denied access.

“Such access could only have occurred through goodwill on the part of the Azerbaijani authorities,” she said. “Unlike governments, non-governmental organizations have no legal right to organize visits in a foreign state. Under international law, including the Vienna Conventions, only states possess the sovereign right to visit their citizens and provide consular services.”

Allowing such visits would have been a positive humanitarian gesture and could have improved Azerbaijan’s international standing, Sahakyan said, adding that political considerations ultimately prevailed.