“In the end, they are all hostages,” notes a human rights expert at CSI’s side event on detained Armenians facing trial in Azerbaijan
MEDIA RELEASE
GENEVA – “These men were sitting at the negotiating table. They were part of an internationally-led diplomatic process. And now they are charged as being terrorists,” said Philippe Kalfayan at CSI’s side event at the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, March 18, 2023.
“Why? Because they are the symbol of resistance. They wanted to perpetuate the existence of this republic of Nagorno Karabakh.”
On March 18, Christian Solidarity International (CSI) organized a side event at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, focusing on the cases of ethnic Armenians arbitrarily detained by Azerbaijan. The recording of the full event, co-sponsored by the European Centre for Law and Justice, is available to watch online here.
The event featured human rights experts calling for immediate and unconditional release of the detainees. The panelists included Siranush Sahakyan, a human rights lawyer who has represented the families of the detainees before the European Court of Human Rights; Philippe Kalfayan, the former secretary general of the International Federation for Human Rights; and Arpi Avetisyan, an international human rights lawyer.
In a message sent by video, Lord David Alton joined the call for the release of the 23 ethnic Armenians held by Azerbaijan.
In September 2023, Azerbaijan drove the entire Armenian Christian population of Nagorno Karabakh out of their homes, capping off a three-year campaign of ethnic cleansing, which included two major military assaults and a nine-month blockade.
Azerbaijan acknowledges that it is holding 23 Armenian men whom it captured during this campaign, including the renowned philanthropist and former minister of state of Nagorno Karabakh, Ruben Vardanyan. Up to 80 more were last seen alive in Azerbaijani hands, and are considered forcibly disappeared.
Sixteen of the 23 detainees are currently on trial in Azerbaijan. Sahakyan noted the many rights violations taking place in these trials, and stated, “Azerbaijan’s judicial system is widely recognized as one of the least independent and most corrupt in the world.”
“There is no scenario in which an Azerbaijani judge operating in an environment of systemic anti-Armenian sentiment could deliver an impartial ruling,” she concluded.
Avetisyan noted that Azerbaijan has tied the release of Armenian prisoners to concessions from the Republic of Armenia in the ongoing negotiations on a final peace treaty between the two countries. “So in the end, they are basically all hostages,” she said.
CSI’s event came as calls for the release of the hostages are growing. In his remarks to the Human Rights Council on March 3, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated, “All those arbitrarily detained in Azerbaijan, including ethnic Armenians, must be released immediately, and fair trial rights must be respected fully.”
On Sunday, the U.S. National Security Advisor, Michael Waltz, stated that he had told Hikmet Hajiyev, a senior Azerbaijani official, to “release the prisoners.”
Contact: Joel Veldkamp | joel.veldkamp@csi-int.org
Christian Solidarity International (CSI) is a Christian human rights organization promoting religious liberty and human dignity.
The “Trials” Taking Place in Azerbaijan Cannot Be Impartial – Siranush Sahakyan
On March 18, a discussion titled “Human Rights in Azerbaijan: The Trials and Detention of Ethnic Armenians” was held at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Participants included Siranush Sahakyan, head of the Center for International and Comparative Law and legal representative of Armenian prisoners at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Philippe Galfayan, former Secretary General of the International Federation for Human Rights, Arpi Avetisyan, an international human rights lawyer specializing in strategic litigation, and representatives from the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights. The participants called for the immediate and unconditional release of Armenian prisoners.
Only representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) are permitted to visit Armenian hostages held in Baku—no other organization has such authorization. If the ICRC is forced to close its operations in Azerbaijan, Armenian prisoners will be left entirely at the discretion of Azerbaijani authorities.
Human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan has warned about the risks associated with the possible closure of the ICRC’s mission, emphasizing that Azerbaijan is acting against an organization with a purely humanitarian mandate—one that has been providing critical support to Armenian detainees.
“These authorities operate in an anti-Armenian environment, taking actions against Armenia. This move would endanger Armenian prisoners both physically and psychologically, as Azerbaijani authorities would use them as political tools. The ICRC has also been the only means of communication between hostages and their families,” said Sahakyan.
Another source of information about the detainees is their families. According to Arpi Avetisyan, based on information from Ruben Vardanyan’s relatives, he was held in isolation, denied medical examinations and his health deteriorated.
“Azerbaijani authorities claim that their Human Rights Commissioner has visited the Armenian prisoners, but we know that this cannot be considered an independent body, and its reports cannot be trusted. Meanwhile, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture has been denied access, which is deeply concerning,” noted Avetisyan.
Out of the 23 Armenian hostages currently held in Baku, 16 are now facing trial. Numerous human rights violations have marked the legal proceedings.
According to Sahakyan, Azerbaijan’s judicial system is one of the least independent and most corrupt in the world, with power concentrated in the hands of the executive branch, ensuring that the judiciary serves political interests rather than justice.
“Numerous reports are confirming this reality. Given the discriminatory atmosphere against Armenians, there is no scenario in which Azerbaijani judges can make impartial decisions,” stated Sahakyan.
Addressing the sham trials and those being persecuted, Philippe Kalffayan emphasized: “These individuals are symbols of resistance; they sought to uphold the existence of the Republic of Artsakh. They refused to submit to the Azerbaijani administration. That is why they are being prosecuted, and their trials will continue in the coming months.”
The discussion, titled “Human Rights in Azerbaijan: Trials and Detention of Ethnic Armenians,” was organized at the UN Human Rights Council by the European Centre for Law and Justice and the human rights organization Christian Solidarity International (CSI).