Vazgen Manukyan urges global Armenian mobilization against Baku verdicts

Vazgen Manukyan, chairman of Armenia’s National Democratic Union, has called on Armenians worldwide to unite against the politically motivated verdicts issued by a Baku court against former Artsakh leaders, saying it delivers a final blow to the Artsakh Armenians’ right to self-determination.

In a statement released on Friday, Manukyan said the rulings violate international legal and humanitarian norms and threaten both Armenia’s security and the future of the Armenian people. He argued that the actions of Azerbaijan since the 2020 ceasefire, including blockades, military operations, forced displacement and detentions, vindicate the Karabakh Armenians’ 1988 pursuit of self-determination as a means of survival.

Manukyan accused Azerbaijan of responding to that process with violence and aggression, and said the latest court decision effectively gives Baku a free hand for further actions against Armenians. He said Armenia’s government should formally challenge the ruling but expressed doubt it would do so.

He urged Armenians across the diaspora to organize a coordinated campaign against the verdicts in their home countries, involving all Armenian institutions and emphasizing the role of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Manukyan said such unity is necessary to reaffirm the right of self-determination of Artsakh Armenians and to lay the groundwork for genuine peace.