MP warns Baku verdicts against Armenian prisoners carry long-term threat to Armenia

Verdicts are expected to be delivered in Baku against 16 Armenian prisoners held by Azerbaijan on Thursday, Armenian opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan said, warning that the proceedings carry serious political implications for Armenia.

In a social media post, Abrahamyan, a member of the opposition Pativ Unem faction, said the rulings would be delivered “against the backdrop of brotherly relations” between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

He reiterated that the sham trial of Armenian prisoners is rooted in allegations of war crimes and genocide leveled against Armenia.

“This means that beyond the fate of individual human lives, a case has effectively been fabricated against Armenia,” the MP wrote. “It will be filed away and used against the country whenever necessary."