Artsakh, for millennia home to a predominantly Armenian population, declared independence in 1991 from the Soviet Union. In September 2020, Azerbaijan—with the help of Turkey—launched a 44-day war against Artsakh, followed by a 10-month blockade and military assault in 2023, leading to the forced displacement of around 120,000 Armenians.
The trilateral ceasefire agreement signed by Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in November 2020 was supposed to halt the war. The agreement mandated the exchange of prisoners of war (POWs), hostages and detainees, as well as the repatriation of the remains of deceased individuals. Azerbaijan, however, has failed to honor the agreement.
After the Azeri bombardment of Artsakh in September 2023, Azerbaijan took even more Armenian hostages, and is now confirmed to be holding at least 23. However, the real figure may be as high as 100, according to Christian Solidarity International (CSI).
According to the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART UK):
All of these individuals have been denied their legal rights under international human rights law, and the abuse and mistreatment of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijani detention is well-documented …. As many as 80 more Armenians are considered ‘forcibly disappeared’—they were last seen in the hands of Azerbaijani soldiers, though Azerbaijan does not acknowledge detaining them.
Sixteen Armenian hostages and prisoners of war (POWs) are currently facing trials that began on January 17 in the Baku Military Court in Azerbaijan. The latest trial is took place on February 11.
Maria Gevorgyan a legal researcher and lawyer with the Yerevan-based Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ), sat down with europeanconservative.com to discuss the situation.
The Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) has requested that Azerbaijan allow international legal experts to observe the trials. Have you received an answer? How many trials have taken place so far?
Firstly, the lack of transparency makes it exceedingly difficult to ascertain the proceedings. Despite assurances of public hearings, Azerbaijan has effectively conducted closed-door trials, permitting only select state-controlled media outlets to attend, while denying access to international agencies such as Reuters. CFTJ has formally requested that Azerbaijan allow international legal experts to observe these trials—as of February 7, there has been no response.
Are these trials fair in your assessment?
These proceedings are simply a mockery of justice. Seeking justice in Azerbaijan is futile for individuals of Armenian descent. The ECtHR has held Azerbaijan accountable in multiple cases (eg. Makuchyan and Minasyan v. Azerbaijan; Saribekyan and Balyan v. Azerbaijan) involving the extrajudicial killing and mistreatment of ethnic Armenians, highlighting a persistent pattern of neglect, ineffective investigations, and failure to communicate with victims’ families or Armenian authorities during domestic proceedings. This underscores systemic issues within Azerbaijan’s legal framework, especially regarding ethnic Armenians.
The right to a fair trial is enshrined in Articles 14 and 16 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), both of which are binding on Azerbaijan. Yet, available information points to multiple Azeri violations of this right, including the failure to inform defendants of charges in a language they understand, denial of legal assistance, coercion to testify against oneself, and insufficient time and facilities to prepare a defence.
Do you have information as to whether the hostages are ill-treated or tortured?
CFTJ’s investigations, including interviews with repatriated POWs and detainees, have documented that every interviewed POW reported enduring both physical and psychological torture, as well as inhumane treatment during captivity.
One Armenian POW recounted: “Approximately twenty Azerbaijanis entered the cell and started beating everyone. They used batons, hammers, pliers, all possible construction equipment, chains, ropes, belts, etc., to beat us.” He added: “Once, a couple of Azerbaijanis entered the cell with a young civilian boy. He seemed to be the son of the Azerbaijani commander who also entered the cell. The Azerbaijanis threw one of the POWs in the middle of the cell. They gave the boy a rubber baton, and he started beating the POW over his head, legs, back, and stomach for a few minutes. One of the Azerbaijanis was filming this.”
Another POW stated: “While we were lying naked on the cold floor, an Azerbaijani ran over my back. They [the Azerbaijani guards] were making me stand, not allowing me to sit down or lie down. They [the Azerbaijani guards] would make us yell that Karabakh is Azerbaijan or ‘long live Azerbaijan’, ‘long live Ilham Aliyev [Azerbaijani President]’ every time when the door would open.”
One of those hostages is Vicken Euljekjian, a Lebanese-born Armenian civilian. There are reports that he has developed serious physical and mental health problems since he was jailed in Baku in 2020. Have you been able to obtain updated information about Vicken’s health?
Regarding Vicken Euljeckjian, in June 2024, CFTJ submitted the first individual complaint, a request for an allegation letter under urgent procedure, to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. According to evidence collected by CFTJ, there are reasonable grounds to believe that Vicken has been subjected to systematic torture and inhumane treatment during his detention, including physical and psychological abuse and medical neglect. However, no response has been received to date. CFTJ also recently submitted a shadow report to the UN Committee against Torture in advance of the Committee’s consideration of Azerbaijan’s fifth periodic report under Article 19 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Some of the Armenian POWs are now missing. Some have reportedly been murdered. Has Azerbaijan given any information to Armenia regarding the state of those missing Armenians?
Ever since the 2020 Ceasefire Agreement, Azerbaijan has been implicated in condoning, facilitating, and directly perpetrating forced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings of both ethnic Armenian civilians and soldiers in secret detention facilities. Testimonies from relatives of the victims, and occasionally from those who were forcibly detained and subsequently released, provide evidence of the deliberate exploitation by Azerbaijani authorities of secret detention conditions and the status of being ‘missing’ to inflict severe physical and psychological harm on the ethnic Armenian captives and their family members. Furthermore, Azerbaijani officials have intentionally withheld information about the whereabouts of missing persons from the ICRC and the state of Armenia.
