From left: Armine Aleksanyan, Lorena Lopez and Dr. Joel Veldkamp

Christian Solidarity International and the European Center for Law and Justice jointly hosted a discussion on Tuesday entitled “Human Rights in Azerbaijan: Three Years Since the Ethnic Cleansing of Nagorno Karabakh.” The event was held in Geneva on sidelines of the 63rd session of the United Nations Rights Council.

Taking part in the discussion were former Artsakh Deputy Foreign Minister Armine Aleksanyan; Siranush Sahakyan the director of the International Comparative Law Centerl; Lorena Lopez, President of the European Free Alliance; international rights attorney Karnig Kerkonian of the Armenian Legal Defense Front and the Nagorno-Karabakh Committee; and Thibault van den Bossche, Advocacy Officer, European Centre for Law and Justice. Dr. Joel Veldkamp, Director for Public Advocacy for Christian Solidarity International, moderated the discussion.

Sahakyan, who was recently in Los Angeles, addressed the situation of Armenians held in Baku and their families, presenting the prolonged human and psychological suffering endured by families as a result of captivity.

At the beginning of her remarks, Sahakyan presented the story of a relative of one of the Armenian captives held in Baku, concerning the circumstances of her husband’s capture and the hardships endured by the family.

Sahakyan emphasized that this story demonstrates what it means to live in uncertainty for years, when a family is deprived of full contact with their loved one and has no definite information regarding his health and legal situation.

Speaking about the peace agreement initialed between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington last year, Sahakyan said that the document lacked any provision requiring the release of Armenian captives.

“The agreement contains no provision requiring the release of Armenian captives. However, on another matter, it establishes a clear timeline: Article 15 requires the parties to withdraw interstate complaints within one month after the agreement enters into force. This creates a difficult contrast. Legal proceedings arising from the conflict may eventually disappear from international forums, but the people whose rights formed the basis of those proceedings do not disappear with them, nor do the violations simply cease to exist because the examination of court cases is discontinued. Therefore, for the families, the question is simple: what has actually changed for them since Washington, in this era of peace?” said Sahakyan.

She also addressed the termination of the permanent presence of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Azerbaijan. According to Sahakyan, the visits previously conducted by the ICRC constituted an important mechanism for assessing the treatment of detainees and their conditions of detention, as well as for maintaining contact with their families.

Alongside the weakening of this system of humanitarian protection, serious concerns are also raised by the criminal proceedings themselves, which have resulted in severe sentences, including life imprisonment and lengthy prison terms.

“Amnesty International has strongly criticized the trials conducted against 16 Armenian defendants, the most recent of which concluded with the judgment in Ruben Vardanyan’s case, describing them as a ‘travesty of justice.’ The European Parliament, in its resolution, characterized these proceedings as sham trials. Human Rights Watch, an international human rights organization, has also expressed concern regarding the fairness of the trials and called on Azerbaijan to ensure that persons deprived of their liberty have regular contact with family members, access to necessary medical care, and regular access by the International Committee of the Red Cross. These are not privileges. These are fundamental safeguards for preserving human dignity that must be ensured for every person, regardless of the charges brought against them,” said Sahakyan.

At the conclusion of her remarks, Sahakyan emphasized that the assessment of the peace process must also include the rights and security of people affected by the conflict: “If there is to be genuine peace, those who remain in captivity must be released immediately.”