{"id":1798,"date":"2026-07-06T21:45:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/?p=1798"},"modified":"2026-07-06T21:45:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T21:45:21","slug":"regarding-the-european-court-of-human-rights-we-are-waiting-until-august-31-to-receive-updated-information-on-the-conditions-and-sentences-of-the-armenian-prisoners-of-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/?p=1798","title":{"rendered":"“Regarding the European Court of Human Rights, We Are Waiting Until August 31 to Receive Updated Information on the Conditions and Sentences of the Armenian Prisoners of War”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Aravot<\/em> spoke with Siranush Sahakyan<\/strong>, human rights defender and legal representative of Armenian prisoners of war before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 There were certain expectations regarding European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit concerning the issue of Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku. However, the statements that followed suggested that the issue was apparently not discussed. What information do you have? Was the issue discussed, and were expectations that the European Commission President’s visit could contribute to the release of Armenian prisoners of war justified at this stage?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 I do not have any additional information. We will probably need clarification from official sources. High-level visits or negotiations involving senior officials often create certain possibilities, and we had similar expectations in the context of the European Political Community Forum, but there was no progress. After that, the likelihood that this issue could be resolved during the European Commission President’s high-level visit was probably quite low. Advancing the peace agenda in bilateral relations remains the key factor, and it is within that context that a return may take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Members of the U.S. Congress submitted a legislative proposal to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee that formally condemns Azerbaijan’s ongoing injustice and calls on Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally release the Armenian prisoners held in Baku. What should be expected from this resolution? More generally, what is the position of the U.S. administration, and do you see a possibility that such resolutions could become law in the near future?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Similar initiatives were introduced in the United States last year as well. The resolution was not adopted by a very narrow margin, but it is a complicated legislative process. It must pass through a bicameral system and receive the support of both political parties. Even if it does not become law, it remains a document expressing a political position, which has its own value in diplomatic work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 During the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), a debate was held on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan, resulting in the adoption of a resolution. Is sufficient pressure being exerted on Azerbaijan merely through statements, despite its failure to comply with ECtHR judgments, or are additional mechanisms needed that are currently not being used?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Relations between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe are currently strained. On the one hand, Azerbaijan wishes to remain within the organization, but there are continuous and repeated violations of its commitments, which have led to statements, formal findings, and limited political sanctions. However, the full range of available instruments has not been employed. On the other hand, the Azerbaijani side is clearly rejecting the concerns recorded in that resolution and, as we have seen, is also rejecting and opposing judicial decisions, which is viewed negatively in the international arena. At the very least, not all available mechanisms concerning the enforcement of ECtHR judgments have been exhausted. For example, the Committee of Ministers may initiate infringement proceedings and refer the matter to the European Court. The deliberate failure to execute an ECtHR judgment may result in serious sanctions, including the suspension of membership. However, the situation must be properly balanced: is it more beneficial to keep the state within the organization and continue diplomatic and political engagement, or to expel it and thereby lose the available means of influence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 What updates can you provide? At what stage are our cases concerning missing persons and Armenian prisoners of war before the international courts? Do you see any possibility of their release?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 As far as the ECtHR is concerned, about the prisoners of war, we are waiting until the deadline of August 31 to receive updated information on their conditions and sentences. There are ongoing cases, as well as completed cases, including those relating to the April 2016 war, and we expect those judicial decisions to be published within a short period as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tatev Harutyunyan<\/em>
Aravot Daily<\/em>
July 4, 2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Aravot spoke with Siranush Sahakyan, human rights defender and legal representative of Armenian prisoners of war before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). \u2013 There were certain expectations regarding European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit concerning the issue of Armenian prisoners of war held in Baku. However, the statements that followed suggested […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1799,"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-1798","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\/1798","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=1798"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1798\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1800,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1798\/revisions\/1800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1798"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1798"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freearmenianhostages.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1798"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}