Baku to use Artsakh leaders' "trials" for self-affirmation at Armenia's expense

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Politics

17.01.2025, 10:55

Azerbaijani authorities will use the "trials" of Ruben Vardanyan, Bako Sahakyan, and other compatriots to assert themselves at the expense of the dignity of the Armenian people, "to diminish our national identity, deepen tensions, and create divisions among us," said Arman Tatoyan, head of the Tatoyan Center for Law and Justice and former Ombudsman of Armenia.

Baku to use Artsakh leaders' "trials" for self-affirmation at Armenia's expense – former Ombudsman

YEREVAN, January 17. /ARKA/. Azerbaijani authorities will use the "trials" of Ruben Vardanyan, Bako Sahakyan, and other compatriots to assert themselves at the expense of the dignity of the Armenian people, "to diminish our national identity, deepen tensions, and create divisions among us," said Arman Tatoyan, head of the Tatoyan Center for Law and Justice and former Ombudsman of Armenia.

"These 'trials' are necessary for the Azerbaijani government to legitimize their false political narratives, absolve themselves of ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, and lay the groundwork for aggression against Armenia. Therefore, we must prevent the spread of this Azerbaijani propaganda within our society. We must remember that our compatriots are held hostage in Azerbaijani prisons, and all testimonies are extracted through inhumane torture and 'supported' by fabricated stories. These 'trials' are our national tragedy," Tatoyan wrote on his social media.

A court hearing for former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan is scheduled for January 17 at 15:00. He faces 42 charges, some of which carry a potential sentence of life imprisonment. Vardanyan has stated that he, his lawyer, and his translator were subjected to pressure, that interrogation protocols were falsified, and that he and his compatriots are completely innocent.

About the Armenian prisoners in Baku

Azerbaijan officially confirms that it is holding only 33 Armenian prisoners of war and civilians, but Armenian human rights activists claim that there are another 80 Armenian prisoners.

The following are under arrest in Azerbaijan: former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, former presidents Bako Sahakyan and Arkady Ghukasyan, former Speaker of the Parliament David Ishkhanyan, former Foreign Minister David Babayan, former Deputy Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army David Manukyan. Among those arrested are former President Arayik Harutyunyan and former Commander of the Defense Army Levon Mnatsakanyan.