May 19 2026
ICJ: Trials of Armenians in Baku do not meet fair trial standards
Yerevan /Mediamax/. The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has published a report on the problems within Azerbaijan’s justice system.
The report states that the rights of the Artsakh leaders were violated in the Baku military court, and the trials are marked by “practices that violate basic guarantees of justice. It explicitly records that these trials do not comply with international human rights law standards.
The report exposes structural and institutional problems in Azerbaijan’s judicial system, and presents the trial of the Artsakh leaders as an illustration of acute problems with the judicial system of the country.
ICJ recorded that the trials of Artsakh leaders “were conducted before a military court, the defendants were denied effective access to counsel of their choosing, case materials were withheld or provided in a language the accused did not understand, defence motions were systematically dismissed without reasoning and omitted from the trial record; interpretation was inadequate or absent, and public access, including access by accredited diplomatic representatives, was denied.”
“According to publicly available reports, these trials are marked by practices that violate basic guarantees of justice “a fundamentally unfair procedural situation has been created, where the defence is deprived of any realistic opportunity to contest the charges or prove innocence. In such conditions, the very concept of a fair trial turns into a formality, devoid of any content,” the report states.
As for the separate trial of former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, the ICJ report notes that the charges against him date back to 1988, when Vardanyan did not hold any position in Artsakh.
“The prosecution of Vardanyan for conduct alleged to have occurred in 1988 raises fundamental concerns under the principle of legality. Vardanyan held no political position at the time the charges relate to and could not have foreseen that conduct from that era would form the basis of criminal charges upon his later entry into political office. The principle of legality requires that criminal liability be foreseeable and that criminal law be applied with precision and clarity, not selectively against individuals based on their subsequent political activities,” the report explains.
ICJ urged Azerbaijani authorities to “ensure that any appeal in the cases of the former Artsakh officials is heard by an ordinary civilian. Ensure the provision of case materials to the defence in a language the accused understands and ensure adequate time and facilities for the preparation of the defence in all proceedings, including on appeal.”
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