Conference participants in Yerevan discussed the release and reintegration of prisoners.
Participants of the international conference in Yerevan called for the release of all Armenians held in Azerbaijan and for preparing assistance in advance for those who will return. Lawyers pointed to international courts as a tool for pressure, while a sociologist noted the lack of psychological support for former prisoners.
As reported by “Caucasian Knot”, on September 18, former state minister of Nagorno-Karabakh Ruben Vardanyan, sentenced to 20 years in Azerbaijan, appealed to the country’s ombudsman Sabina Aliyeva. According to him, Armenian citizens sentenced in the Baku penitentiary complex are denied phone calls and visits, are not allowed to undergo medical examinations, and their walking time is reduced.
On February 5, former president of Nagorno-Karabakh Araik Harutyunyan, Foreign Minister David Babayan, former commander of the Defense Army Levon Mnatsakanyan and his deputy David Manukyan, former parliament speaker David Ishkhanyan were sentenced by a military court in Baku to life imprisonment. On the same day, another 10 defendants were sentenced to imprisonment for terms ranging from 15 to 20 years. All defendants refused to plead guilty. They were charged under 20 articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, including war crimes , according to a report by “Caucasian Knot” "Main points about the sentences of former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh".
The international conference “Freedom, Justice, and Reintegration” took place on October 16 in Yerevan. It was organized by the Covcas Center for Law and Conflict Resolution as part of the LIBERTAS initiative under the auspices of the municipality of Lyon and the French Lea and Napoleon Pulukyan Foundation. Local experts spoke in the hall, while foreign participants joined via video link, reported a correspondent from “Caucasian Knot”.
The head of the Covcas Center Hilda Choboyan explained to “Caucasian Knot” the goals of the conference. “The issue of returning Armenian prisoners is not only a matter of justice and human rights but also a matter of political will, and to solve it, it is necessary to unite the efforts of civil society, international organizations, and state structures, exerting systematic international pressure on Azerbaijan,” she said.
The public should more often appeal to relevant UN structures, work with humanitarian organizations from different countries, prepare expert reports, and organize public actions, believes Choboyan. These “soft power” tools, she said, should become part of a large-scale international movement.
The LIBERTAS initiative considers all Armenians held in Azerbaijan – military and civilians – as state hostages used as a tool for political pressure, Choboyan stated at the conference. Therefore, the issue should be viewed not only from a legal perspective but also from a political one, striving for the release of all detainees and their return to their families, she added.
Issues of Legal Protection
Lawyer Siranush Saakyan, representing the interests of Armenian prisoners in the European Court of Human Rights, stated that existing evidence and medical documents with a high degree of reliability confirm the systematic nature of torture and inhumane treatment of Armenians held in Baku. According to her, prisoners are deprived of the opportunity to send and receive letters, meaning they are isolated from the outside world.
Lawyer and international law expert Yegishe Kirakosyan called the trials of Armenian prisoners in Baku illegal and considered it naive to expect that they would provide legal guarantees. In his opinion, international judicial instances, including the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of the UN, remain important mechanisms for protecting rights. Their decisions matter, even if Azerbaijan is not ready to change its behavior: they exert a deterrent effect and are important from both a legal and political perspective.
International processes to protect the rights of Armenian prisoners can also be initiated by third countries, the lawyer pointed out. International law allows states to demand accountability for violations of international obligations, even if they are not directly affected, he reminded, citing the cases of Gambia against Myanmar and South Africa against Israel in the International Court of the UN.
Kirakosyan urged Armenia to actively use mechanisms of international legal protection and continue processes against Azerbaijan. “Against the backdrop of increasing pressure on the international legal system, Armenia should be particularly interested in maintaining international law and order,” he believes.
Support for Returnees
Executive Director of the “ARAR” Civilization Studies Fund, political and military sociologist Armen Khachikyan stated the need for systematic psychological and social support for returned prisoners and their families. The prolonged uncertainty regarding the fate of the prisoners heavily affects not only their relatives but society as a whole. “In psychology, this state is called ‘ambiguous loss’: a person does not know what is happening with their relative and when they will be able to return,” Khachikyan said.
He noted the insufficient support for those who have already returned from Azerbaijani captivity. In Armenia, a comprehensive assessment of the needs of former prisoners and their families has not been conducted, and mechanisms for psychological and social assistance remain underdeveloped, the sociologist noted. According to the data he provided, 87% of returnees stated that they need financial support and help with employment, 33% often have nightmares, 36% experience sleep problems, and 28% reported signs of aggression.
Khachikyan called for changing public attitudes towards former prisoners. Excessive heroization, pity, and persistent inquiries about their experiences can complicate their return to normal life, and society needs to respect the personal boundaries of individuals and create conditions for their adaptation, he believes. Preparations for the return of Armenians held in Azerbaijan should begin now, and mechanisms for assisting prisoners and their families should be developed in advance. “It is difficult to talk about a full-fledged peace process while Armenian prisoners remain in Azerbaijan,” Khachikyan concluded.
In a video address to conference participants, the mayor of Lyon Gregory Doucet welcomed the peace process between Yerevan and Baku but urged vigilance and consideration of how to ensure long-term peace if political prisoners in Azerbaijan are subjected to arbitrary detention. “Behind each of them are families and loved ones who are waiting for their return. We reaffirm our support and emphasize the need for their immediate release,” he said.
“Caucasian Knot” also reported that at the end of August, a group complaint was filed with the European Court of Human Rights regarding the violation of the rights of 15 residents of Nagorno-Karabakh sentenced in Azerbaijan, including former leaders of the unrecognized republic. The applicants believe that the trials in the Baku military court did not comply with Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights. In early August, the Baku appellate court upheld the sentences.
On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan conducted large-scale military operations and took control of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, after which a mass exodus of the Armenian population began. By October 7, 2023, 100,632 displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh had arrived in Armenia, and by September 2024, only 14 Armenians remained in the region. “Caucasian Knot” has prepared a report “The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh”.