{"id":1205,"date":"2025-06-04T09:46:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T09:46:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/?p=1205"},"modified":"2025-06-06T09:47:34","modified_gmt":"2025-06-06T09:47:34","slug":"neutral-country-could-help-secure-access-to-armenian-detainees-lawyer-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/?p=1205","title":{"rendered":"Neutral Country Could Help Secure Access to Armenian Detainees, Lawyer Says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

PanARMENIAN.Net<\/em> \u2014 Armenia should formally request Switzerland’s assistance in securing access to Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan, human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan said, suggesting that a neutral intermediary could help bridge the current diplomatic impasse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sahakyan, head of the Center for International and Comparative Law, noted that Armenia has viable alternatives for arranging visits to its citizens held in Azerbaijan\u2014especially after Baku suspended cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Switzerland has expressed its readiness to act as a neutral facilitator in this matter,” she said. “However, the process can only begin once the Armenian government submits an official request.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sahakyan explained that in the absence of diplomatic relations or during periods of heightened tension, it is common for neutral third countries to step in to manage humanitarian issues\u2014including organizing detainee visits and transmitting information about their condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur organization approached Swiss authorities, who signaled their willingness to take on this role,\u201d she said. \u201cThe essential step now is a formal application from Armenia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While acknowledging uncertainty about whether Azerbaijan would accept such an arrangement, Sahakyan said a refusal would expose Baku to international scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven if Azerbaijan questions Switzerland\u2019s neutrality, an outright rejection would not be viewed favorably by the international community,\u201d she said. \u201cArmenia must submit the request\u2014even if it expects a negative response\u2014because doing so will put the issue on record and demonstrate Armenia\u2019s commitment to protecting its citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sahakyan stressed that only a sovereign state can make such a request, as it relates to the right to maintain contact with nationals imprisoned abroad. International law allows for third-party representation when a country lacks consular presence in another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Center for International and Comparative Law has already contacted Armenia\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the possibility of enlisting Swiss help. While the ministry responded positively, it has not disclosed further steps or plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sahakyan added that Azerbaijan\u2019s suspension of ICRC cooperation has severely restricted communication with Armenian detainees, making alternative mechanisms all the more urgent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PanARMENIAN.Net \u2014 Armenia should formally request Switzerland’s assistance in securing access to Armenian detainees held in Azerbaijan, human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan said, suggesting that a neutral intermediary could help bridge the current diplomatic impasse. Sahakyan, head of the Center for International and Comparative Law, noted that Armenia has viable alternatives for arranging visits to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,12,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advocacy","category-english","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1205"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1207,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1205\/revisions\/1207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}