At Least 50 More Armenian Prisoners Expected to Be Returned: Siranush Sahakyan

The number of interim measures applications submitted by lawyers regarding Armenian prisoners in the European Court of Human Rights is approaching 80. Complaints have also been filed with the European Court regarding about 15 of these cases.

This was stated by Siranush Sahakyan, the lawyer representing the interests of Armenian prisoners at the ECHR, in an interview with Armtimes.com. She added that among their clients are also deceased civilians, whose bodies have either been returned or are expected to be returned.

Sahakyan noted that in addition to the 45 prisoners returned to their homeland, at least 50 more captives are expected to be returned. “We do not know the timelines, but I do not think it will take much time for the confirmed cases. The more problematic will be the efforts aimed at documenting the still undisclosed individuals, as there is a risk that Azerbaijan will express its position in ongoing operations, accept a specific batch, and perhaps announce the process to be closed while we continue to discover cases of captivity at the level of fact verification,” she said.

According to Sahakyan, efforts are underway to fully clarify the circumstances of the captivity of individuals during recent battles in the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the Hadrut region. “At the moment, we have an 11-member team working on their issues, and there is already evidence on which we can speak about captivity,” said the lawyer.

This morning, there were reports that two more Armenians had been captured by Azerbaijanis in the Zangezur region last night. However, the lawyer did not have clear information about this: “We have heard about it, but at least we know the location of the group we are dealing with. Zangezur is quite far away, so our group cannot have been captured there. It is also possible that there are groups that they have captured and taken to Zangezur, or that some people remaining in the forests have ended up there due to movement. However, the individuals involved in the incidents occurring in the villages of Hadrut could not have ended up and cannot be found in Zangezur.”

Speaking about those who have returned to their homeland, Siranush Sahakyan stated that information regarding their health condition is not subject to publication. As for the health status of Armenian prisoners still held in Azerbaijan, the information received is declarative in nature and unreliable. “The information regarding the health status of those held in Azerbaijan lacks high reliability and credibility, it is neither complete nor documented. The only assurance is that there is an ongoing process at the ECHR where the individuals are under supervision. The remaining details will be clarified after the return of individuals when it is possible to describe the situation,” she added.

According to the lawyer, the return of individuals does not rule out subsequent legal processes at the ECHR. “Moreover, even before repatriation, we have confirmed cases of ill-treatment and torture. Now we will complement the information with eyewitness testimonies and results of medical examinations to record objective data, after which we will discuss with the individuals—considering their safety concerns—the strategy for further processes,” she explained.

It should be noted that yesterday, on December 14, the exchange of prisoners started based on the principle of 'all for all.' The Armenian side handed over 12 individuals to Azerbaijan, while the Azerbaijani side handed over 45 individuals to Armenia. Siranush Sahakyan also informed that there are no remaining Armenian individuals captured before the war in Azerbaijan.