Former Artsakh FM issues audio message from Baku prison

Former Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan, currently held in Azerbaijani captivity, has issued an appeal to human rights defenders and the international community. Babayan’s audio message was transmitted to NEWS.am through his family on Thursday. Below is the English version of his statement.

“Dear compatriots, Armenians around the world, people of goodwill, human rights defenders, journalists, and members of the international community,

I am compelled to address you because I have no other option.

As you know, we have been held here in Baku for nearly three years. Legal proceedings against us continue, accompanied by serious and systematic violations of due process. Most recently, another alarming violation has occurred: my appeal documents submitted to the Azerbaijani Court of Appeals have disappeared. As a result, my case may be prevented from reaching the appellate level and, consequently, from being brought before an international court.

On May 7, my lawyer informed me that it was allegedly the final day for submitting petitions. This came as a complete surprise, because the deadline had previously been set for February 25. On February 23, while in solitary confinement, I submitted two petitions and an additional letter through the head of the detention unit, requesting that they be officially forwarded. All of these documents have since disappeared.

I was forced to prepare another letter, but I still do not know whether it was accepted or delivered. There is a real possibility that attempts are being made to obstruct my right to appeal.

In addition, during my transfer from solitary confinement back to prison on April 21, my final statement delivered before the court of first instance on December 19, 2025, was confiscated. This appears to be yet another effort to eliminate all critical statements and records.

I therefore ask that this information be brought to the attention of international judicial bodies, human rights organizations, and the broader international community. We genuinely intend to appeal to an international court.

I call upon all Armenians and all people of goodwill to support us in this effort. I do this in the name of justice, democracy, human rights, and genuine peace. I believe this is the only path forward.

I also ask that our final court statements be made publicly available in video form, if they have not already been destroyed.

I would now like to briefly describe the nature of the judicial proceedings taking place here, because none of us knows what tomorrow may bring.

This trial is entirely fabricated. Fundamental principles of justice, humanity, international law, and even Azerbaijan’s own legal standards are being grossly violated. I call on patriotic Armenians to unite in defense of our rights, because we intend to pursue this matter before international courts.

The accusations against us are baseless, weak, and politically motivated. This is not a genuine legal process. It is an ethno-political act of revenge directed against the past, present, and future of the Armenian people.

The violations have been so numerous and obvious that even some legal professionals involved have privately acknowledged them, saying that one day people will feel ashamed of what has taken place here.

I would add that there are moral and spiritual laws—both written and unwritten—that cannot be violated without consequence, especially when done knowingly and arrogantly. During one of my statements, I even cited a verse from the Quran which says that God does not love the arrogant and self-righteous. I believe those words had an impact.

At times, the proceedings descend into absurdity.

For example, the indictment states that during a search, authorities discovered “two metallic objects, one white and one yellow.” In reality, these were simply my handmade silver cross and gold necklace.

The testimonies of certain so-called witnesses have also been astonishing.

One witness claimed to recognize me and insisted I was Vitali Balasanyan, accusing me of torturing him. Even after others explained that I was not that person, he continued making accusations. When my lawyer challenged him, he became hostile and disrespectful.

Another witness claimed that I had tortured him during the winter of 1994 and declared that I had “not changed at all,” describing me as “two meters tall, with golden hair, beard, and mustache.” He alleged that prisoners had been hung upside down continuously for seven days while being beaten with metal rods.

I responded by saying that even bats, after millions of years of evolution, cannot remain hanging continuously for seven days. In any normal court, such testimony would either require an apology, a medical evaluation, or legal consequences for slander.

Instead, these individuals continued appearing prominently in court proceedings and on television broadcasts.

Another revealing incident involved a photograph shown during the investigation. Prosecutors presented a photo of Davit Galstyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, accusing him of illegal arms trading. I pointed out that they had confused him with another individual known as “Patron Davo.” Despite this obvious error, prosecutors claimed that 73 witnesses had identified the parliamentarian personally. After realizing their mistake, investigators later returned and changed their narrative entirely.

The contradictions extended even further.

At one point, prosecutors argued that any economic relations with unrecognized states constitute criminal activity because such entities are “illegal.” Yet the simultaneous translation equipment used in the courtroom was manufactured in Taiwan—a territory they themselves would classify as “separatist.” This despite the fact that Azerbaijan’s leadership has repeatedly visited China and publicly affirmed that Taiwan is part of China.

I state these things simply as facts. In my view, what we are witnessing is driven by state-level geopolitical hostility.

Ordinary people are not to blame. Everywhere there are decent human beings, and we have encountered many compassionate and respectful people here as well. There is no such thing as a bad nation. For that, I remain grateful to all honorable people.

That is why we must speak honestly and openly. We seek justice, and this is why we are bringing these facts before the international community.

I would also like to thank all those who have stood beside us throughout these difficult years—both in our homeland and across the Armenian diaspora—as well as our friends around the world. I am especially grateful to those in Europe and the United States who continue to raise these issues despite political differences among themselves.

Stay strong! At present, conditions for us in prison remain stable.

Thank you. This struggle is not only about us personally, it is a struggle for justice, human rights and democracy.”