The issue of the return of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan has become one of the key topics of Armenia’s political agenda. Samvel Karapetyan, the leader of the “Strong Armenia” opposition party, promised to create a special committee and use all international connections for the speedy release of compatriots, harshly criticizing the current government for its inability to protect the interests of citizens.

On May 17, during a meeting with the residents of Lori region, the politician stated that only his team is capable of effectively solving the problem of the return of detained persons. Karapetyan considered the created situation unacceptable, stressing that only the government, not the Armenian people, is showing weakness in the international arena.

According to his conviction, all previous military and political achievements of the state were destroyed due to the incompetence of the current leadership. In order to overcome the crisis, the leader of the party intends to form a separate profile group, which will focus exclusively on the issue of prisoners both within the framework of direct dialogue with Baku and on the platforms of international structures.

The aggravation of the problem is due to the unprecedentedly harsh verdicts passed by the Azerbaijani courts. According to Baku’s official data, nineteen Armenian citizens are being held in Azerbaijan. Among them are the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, whom the Azerbaijani side has seriously accused of terrorism, genocide and war crimes.

Ex-president Arayik Harutyunyan, former high-ranking military officers Levon Mnatsakanyan and Davit Manukyan, as well as politicians Davit Babayan and Davit Ishkhanyan were sentenced to life imprisonment. Former leaders Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, as well as former state minister Ruben Vardanyan were sentenced to twenty years in prison. Sentences ranging from fifteen to nineteen years were also imposed on a number of arrested civilians.

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The former Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vardan Oskanian, severely criticized the current government, stating that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s policies lead to the gradual loss of the country’s sovereign territories. Against the background of Baku’s promotion of the “Western Azerbaijan” concept, the former chief diplomat warns of the real danger to the republic’s territorial integrity.

In his statement published on social networks, Oskanian called on the Armenians of the whole world to pay special attention to the idea of ​​”Western Azerbaijan” actively circulated by the Azerbaijani side. According to the politician, it is not an abstract rhetoric, but a clearly planned strategy, the implementation of which becomes more than probable under the conditions of the current Armenian leadership. The former minister is convinced that the head of the government is ceding layer by layer the lands that he is publicly pressing to his chest.

As the main argument, the former head of the Foreign Ministry reminded about the actual presence of Azerbaijani armed forces in the sovereign territory of Armenia. He noted that the troops of the neighboring country continue to control the strategic heights in the directions of Jermuk, Syunik and Tavush, without showing any intention to withdraw.

Oskanyan specifically referred to Syunik region Nikol Pashinyan to the latest announcements. Trying to calm the local residents with assurances about the inseparability of the region from Armenia, the prime minister, according to the assessment of an experienced diplomat, recorded the opposite result. Oskanyan believes that such justifying rhetoric turns Syunik de facto into a disputed territory and indicates that the status of this important southern region has already become a subject of bilateral negotiations.

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Former Minister of State of Nagorno-Karabakh, co-founder of the “Aurora” humanitarian initiative, Ruben Vardanyan, who is currently serving a twenty-year sentence in an Azerbaijani prison, was nominated for the 2026 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Award.

Vardanyan’s candidacy was nominated by the international initiative group, which includes world-famous human rights defenders and philanthropists. writer Vahan Zanoyan, founder of a care home in Burundi Margarit Barankitse, American doctor Tom Katina, Congolese activist Julien Lusenge and Iraqi human rights activist Mirza Dina. In their joint statement, they emphasized that the decision was based on Vardanyan’s significant contribution to the protection of human rights at the global level, as well as his selfless struggle to protect the rights of his compatriots in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The authors particularly emphasized the role of the “Aurora” prize, thanks to which thousands of lives have been saved on different continents.

In the statement of human rights defenders, Vardanyan is described as a convinced pacifist who risked his own security and prosperous future in order to find ways of dialogue and mutual understanding in one of the most complex conflict zones in the world. Drawing parallels between Vardanyan’s philosophy and Vaclav Havel’s ideals, the nominators pointed to their shared unwavering belief in human dignity, solidarity and the triumph of reason.

According to the group, Vardanyan’s transfer to Artsakh was dictated solely by the desire to protect the fundamental rights of the indigenous population.

At the same time, the authors of the application note with pain the tragic irony of the created situation. Today, the outstanding philanthropist himself is in dire need of the protection of the international community. In September 2023, he was sentenced to twenty years in prison by a military court in Baku after being captured in Lachin Corridor. The Azerbaijani side has brought more than forty accusations against him, including financing of terrorism, illegal crossing of the border and creation of armed groups. accusations that the human rights community describes as fabricated.

By nominating Vardanyan for the Haveli Prize, international activists hope that it will become an important step towards the release of both the famous philanthropist and other Armenian prisoners held in Baku.

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The main idea of ​​the beginning of the second week of the campaign will be that the June 7 elections will turn into a REFERENDUM: do we keep the state or not? You should not be afraid of this question, on the contrary, you should sharpen it. We should be afraid of how many votes this government will gather.
 
Calls: vote. No. 7, No. 3, No. 17, No. 6, of course, are natural, but we also need a unified call, a unified agenda that will sharpen the process and turn it into a referendum. This is necessary because Nikol does not have a natural social class supporting him, he wants to collect votes with artificial social classes, and relying on those votes (with their knowledge or not, it is not essential) to lead Armenia to liquidation. Pre-election health insurance (won’t last long this way), visa-free travel to Europe (completely a bluff), state system premiums and “job dead”. This is the source of his voice, and why is it artificial, because there are a large number of normal people in these layers, to whom one simple thing can and should be explained in the coming weeks. your temporary benefit is very temporary and the price incredibly expensive. This government will bring the country to ruin in a matter of months.

“We don’t need Artsakh, the layer “We don’t need Shushi” is different. it will calmly say: we don’t need Armenia. We do not deal with this layer. With the other layers, however, in case of simple sharp questioning, to achieve a result.

He has already shouted: “Artsvashen is Armenia and that’s it,” which means new heavy losses and surrenders in case of his reproduction. Surrender of functioning villages, important roads, strategic heights and settlements, or even exchange with an uninhabited area not connected to Armenia in any way, what is that, a real referendum topic? How will the Azerbaijani military to be stationed on the top of Tigranashen or handing over the sections of the Armenia-Iran interstate road to Azerbaijan contribute to the improvement of Armenia’s security or regional peace?

June 7 is the truest referendum. we should not be afraid to realize this and tell the people clearly. People may be undecided about which number to vote for on the ballots, but the choice in the main question is very clear.
 
Vahe Hovhannisyan

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Another tense incident was recorded within the pre-election meetings. The sharp debate between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and one of the citizens ended with the head of the government’s harsh threats to the former leaders and opponents.

The unexpected incident started when one of the crowd, who introduced himself as a candidate of sciences, approached Nikol Pashinyan and made direct accusations against him. The citizen accused the prime minister of stealing the motherland, destroying the built state and destroying an entire generation. In a very upset tone, the man noted that the authorities took away his family members, his brother, nephew and his own children, and also demanded clear answers regarding the fate of high-ranking officers who forcibly disappeared and went missing during the war.

In response to the heavy accusations, Nikol Pashinyan came out with highly emotional and aggressive rhetoric. He stated that they are trying to depress and “depress” him, but such attempts are doomed to failure. In his speech, the head of the government turned to direct threats addressed to the representatives of the former authorities.

Using street slang, he threatened to “kill” and “dismember” Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan, Gagik Tsarukyan and “Kalugatsi”. The Prime Minister also stated that the former looted the country under the name of Artsakh for years, and “Robert shot people”.

At the height of the tension, Pashinyan also referred to people filming videos with masks and Artsakh dialect on the Internet. Using insulting terms, he called these people “puppies” and “cowardly cowards”, claiming that they fled the battlefield in expensive cars in the heat of war, leaving the soldiers alone to face the enemy.

The Prime Minister promised to publicly tear off the masks of all of them and subject them to strict responsibility, adding in harsh language what he will do with those masks. He claimed that these persons are directly related to the circle of former leaders.

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The villagers are ready to work and get a high-quality harvest, but they are facing serious problems of water scarcity and procurement, while the authorities are busy praising themselves and making insulting remarks about the citizens.

The first number of the banner of the opposition “Strong Armenia” bloc Narek Karapetyan summarized the results of his visits to the RA marzes, presenting a harsh criticism of the economic and political working style of the government.

According to Narek Karapetyan, both positive and negative factors emerged during the visit to Armavir region. The positive thing is that the villagers are willing to work and grow fruits and vegetables that are in great demand and can be sold on profitable terms. However, the negative reality is that there are unsolved problems of water and procurement.

According to Karapetyan, the state has not solved economic issues. “The economy does not develop with asphalt alone, we need a good economic policy so that people can make profitable sales.”

The situation in Gegharkunik marz is considered much more acute due to high unemployment. Referring to the statements that there are not 300,000 workers in the country, Karapetyan advised to go to Gegharkunik, Shirak, Lori and Aragatsotn marzes and see with your own eyes how many people leave for foreign work (“khopan”). He emphasized that these people are actually ready to work.

In the political sphere, Karapetyan condemned the rhetoric of the authorities in recent days. He noted that the representatives of the government have started to use offensive wording in their speeches, the purpose of which is to show that they can oppress people or, as they stated, “tread on them”.

In this regard, Narek Karapetyan strongly opposed the government. “You have praised yourself a little, you cannot give a person a foothold. You can hold and give alone… You cannot do anything else in Armenia, you are the ministry of holding and giving alone.”

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