Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Monday, 24 February, criticized for the first time the trials of former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh jailed in Azerbaijan.
When speaking during High-level Segment of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mirzoyan said: “Moreover, as we speak, the mock trials against 23 Armenian individuals, who are arbitrarily detained, are taking place in Azerbaijan with disregard of human right standards for due process.”
On February 24, within the framework of the working visit to Geneva, Mirzoyan had a meeting with Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. They discussed humanitarian issues. Minister Mirzoyan raised the issue of the release of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians illegally detained in Azerbaijan, the ongoing sham trials, expressing concern over the health condition of the mentioned individuals and the possible pressure exerted on them.
Among other agenda items, the discussion touched upon the undertaken and necessary additional efforts toward clarifying the fate of missing persons. Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized Armenia’s readiness and steps taken to address the issue, taking into account the sensitivity of the matter for the families of missing persons. The Foreign Minister of Armenia noted that resolving humanitarian issues could be a significant factor in achieving a comprehensive settlement and establishing lasting peace.
On February 25 in Geneva on the sidelines of the session of the UN Human Rights Council, Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. The interlocutors discussed the challenges the international human rights system is facing, regional developments and issues of cooperation between Armenia and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Foreign Minister Mirzoyan presented the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, outlining the approaches of Armenia on its several components and the constructive proposals put forward. In the context of the comprehensive settlement, Minister Mirzoyan highlighted the importance of addressing humanitarian issues, including the issue of the release of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages illegally detained in Azerbaijan. Speaking about the efforts to advance reconciliation, the Foreign Minister of Armenia emphasized that the findings of the two missions dispatched to Armenia last year by the High Commissioner’s Office to gather information on the situation of forcibly displaced Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh could serve as a significant contribution.
Also, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan stated during the 4th session of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Partnership Committee on February 25, that Armenian captives remain in Azerbaijan, calling this “a disgraceful process for Baku from any legal and judicial perspective.” He emphasized that Armenia expects the European Union’s active support in securing the release of Armenian captives from Azerbaijan. “We ask all partners to engage in the processes we are carrying out for peace. We are grateful to the EU, but its mediation format is currently ineffective,” Hovhannisyan said.
An Azerbaijani military court began the separate “trials” of Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian billionaire and philanthropist, and 15 Karabakh Armenians on January 17. The defendants facing a long list of accusations include three former Karabakh presidents — Arayik Harutiunyan, Bako Sahakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan. They all were captured by Azerbaijan during or shortly after its September 2023 military offensive that forced Karabakh’s entire population to flee to Armenia and restored Azerbaijani control over the region.