Aliyev confirms Vance raised issue of Armenian prisoners in Baku

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has confirmed that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance raised the issue of possible pardoning of former Artsakh leaders during his visit to Baku. Artsakh's former military and political leaders have been unlawfully convicted in a show trial in Baku and handed life sentences or lengthy prison terms.

"During the interaction with the Vice President, which lasted for several hours, among other issues, this issue was also raised by him, and I expressed Azerbaijan's position on this issue, and that was it. We mainly discussed bilateral relations, regional development, TRIPP, and prospects for formal peace with Armenia. With respect to these people whom you mentioned, these are the leaders of the illegal separatist regime, which illegally functioned on our territory, on the territory of the sovereign Azerbaijani state, recognized as such by the entire international community, including Armenia," he told France 24 in an interview on Friday.

He claimed they were provided with lawyers and the trial was “absolutely transparent.” “Their crimes were proven by the testimonies of witnesses, numerous testimonies, and there is no question about suspicion of wrongdoing,” Aliyev said.

“These people committed serious crimes against humanity. Imagine after the Second World War, the Nuremberg trials, and all those Nazi leaders, who were sentenced to death, in two months some would come and say, please release them. Their crimes were even worse than what the Nazis did during World War II," he added.