A year ago, Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh in the wake of Azerbaijan’s military operation. But not everyone was allowed to go to neighboring Armenia. The leaders of Karabakh Armenians, including billionaire Ruben Vardanyan, were arrested and sent to Baku, the Russian service of the BBC writes.
Authorities and human rights defenders give different reports about the exact number of prisoners. Baku mentions 23 Armenian prisoners: eight NKR leaders detained after the Azerbaijani military operation in September 2023, 15 POWs, as well as civilians.
However, human rights defender Siranush Sahakyan, representing the interests of Armenian prisoners at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), believes that the actual number of prisoners significantly exceeds the official data.
The BBC contacted the family members of two former officials now kept in custody. The relatives said they are in telephone contact with the prisoners but cannot make calls on their own. They wished to remain anonymous. They learn about the trials only from the Azerbaijani media. The families of the prisoners realize that they may not see their relatives in the near future.
The relatives of the former leaders of Karabakh Armenians are trying not to reveal details about the conditions of their detention, so as not to worsen their already vulnerable situation. However, Ruben Vardanyan’s international team of lawyers chose a different tactic.
In a conversation with the BBC, human rights defender Siranush Sahakyan and lawyer Jared Genser representing the interests of Ruben Vardanyan, expressed confidence that the COP29 climate summit to be held in November can once again draw the attention of the international community to the issue of POWs and political prisoners.
Genser noted that the international community plays an important role in this regard. There are many actors in international courts who are deeply concerned about what is happening in Azerbaijan. “Aliyev may try to run away or hide from this truth, but this could cause huge reputational problems for him, which will only increase ahead of COP29,” Genser said.
Hopes for the release of prisoners amid COP29 are also related to the statements of Western politicians. Laurence Broers, a fellow at Chatham House’s Royal Institute of International Affairs, believes that the release of prisoners cannot be ruled out ahead of COP29, but so far nothing points to such a prospect. The outcome of the trials of the leaders of Karabakh Armenians is not yet clear. Delays may work both to the prisoners’ advantage and to their detriment. The alternative is a direct agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but that still seems unlikely.
The arrest of the unrecognized NKR leadership is an important symbolic victory for Azerbaijan, Broers said. Their trials can be expected to become a news show that will confirm Azerbaijan’s stance on the Karabakh conflict.
