Latest posts
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Appeal by Veronika Zonabend
This week marked 100 days since Ruben was transferred to the Umbaki penitentiary complex. He has been held since September 2023, and in all that time he has not once been able to see his family in person. Previously, I addressed the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva, and the…
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Pashinyan says continuous efforts are underway to free Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan
NEWS.am — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, at a press briefing following the government Cabinet meeting on Thursday, did not answer the question about what information the Armenian authorities have about the health condition of Armenian prisoners being held in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that continuous efforts are being…
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Urgent Call Needed Now
The lawyer of 56-year-old Lyudvig Mkrtchyan, who has already been held in an Azerbaijani prison for six years, Luciana Minasian, has appealed to the President of Azerbaijan, demanding that Mkrtchyan be immediately allowed to call his wife. Lyudvig Mkrtchyan has not spoken to his wife in over a month.The last time Hranush Shahbazyan heard her…
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Prosecutors in Baku Court Call Armenian Prisoners’ Appeals “Unfounded”
On July 24, the Baku Court of Appeal continued hearing the appeals filed against the verdicts in the politically motivated cases of the former military and political leadership of Artsakh. The hearing was presided over by Judge Elmar Rahimov, with Judges Emin Mehdiyev and Mehriban Garayeva participating. Defense lawyers representing the Armenian prisoners, interpreters, representatives…
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Serious Injury Reports Raise New Alarm Over Conditions of Armenian Hostages Held in Azerbaijan
Families report fractures, severe health deterioration, and lack of medical care as human rights lawyer urges urgent international intervention Fresh reports of serious injuries and rapidly deteriorating health among Armenian hostages held in Azerbaijani prisons have intensified concerns over their treatment and underscored the urgent need for independent international monitoring. Siranush Sahakyan, the legal representative…
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“We Will Go to the Hakari Bridge”: Families of the Missing Demand Answers from the Government
The parents and relatives of servicemen who went missing during the 44-day war are warning the Armenian government that if officials refuse to meet with them and answer their questions, they will travel to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border next week and appeal directly to the Azerbaijani authorities. Aida Karapetyan, who has been searching for her son…
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U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Calls for Azerbaijan’s Immediate Release of Armenian Hostages
WASHINGTON, DC – The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 44 to 7 on Wednesday, July 22, to call on Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian hostages, adopting an amendment to H.R. 9086, the House Foreign Service Act. The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)-backed amendment, led by Congressional Armenian Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Brad…
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“During Our Call, He Said His Condition Had Deteriorated So Severely That He Lost Consciousness”: Hranush Shahbazyan
The health of 56-year-old Lyudvig Mkrtchyan, who has been held captive in Azerbaijan since October 2020, continues to cause serious concern for his lawyers and family. On July 15, Luciana Minasian, an attorney and head of the Society for Orphaned Armenian Relief (SOAR), raised the alarm that Armenian prisoner of war Lyudvig Mkrtchyan, who was…
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Application Lodged before the European Court of Human Rights in the Case of Ruben Vardanyan
Attorney Siranush Sahakyan has announced that an application has been lodged with the European Court of Human Rights on behalf of Ruben Vardanyan. The full text of Siranush Sahakyan’s statement is provided below. On July 19, 2026, I submitted an official application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) regarding the case of Ruben…
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Another Armenian Prisoner In Azerbaijan Rebukes Yerevan
Yet another former leader of Nagorno-Karabakh jailed in Azerbaijan has accused Armenia’s leadership of being indifferent to the fate of Armenian prisoners and hostages. Major-General Davit Manukyan, who had served as a deputy commander of Karabakh’s Armenia-backed army, challenged Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to publicly comment on “fabricated and false” accusations leveled against himself and…