Arman Tatoyan Appeals to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on the Return of Prisoners

Arman Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, has today appealed to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe regarding the immediate return of all prisoners of the Armenian side unlawfully held in Azerbaijan.

"This special report is connected to the fact that on March 9, 2021, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) sent a public notice to the Committee of Ministers, indicating that the Azerbaijani government does not comply with the deadlines set by the court regarding prisoners and provides general and limited information to the court. The Defender's report emphasizes that the behavior of the Azerbaijani authorities grossly violates international requirements by presenting prisoners as 'terrorists' or 'saboteurs.' All Armenian servicemen and civilians have been captured by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the ongoing armed conflict, therefore they are all prisoners of war and should be released immediately and returned home without any political or other preconditions.

The Azerbaijani authorities artificially prolong the process and politicize it, grossly violating the rights of the prisoners and their families, causing them suffering and creating tension in society. It is absolutely condemnable that the Azerbaijani authorities do not publish the actual number of Armenian prisoners unlawfully held in their country. This causes double suffering to the families of missing persons, as their situation becomes even more uncertain, especially given that the Azerbaijani authorities continuously obstruct search and identification efforts.

The absolute urgency of these issues must also be viewed in the context of the state-level policy of anti-Armenian hatred and enmity in Azerbaijan. The appeal to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe provides a detailed analysis of international requirements for the protection of human rights, with specific examples of human rights violations and raises the issue of supporting the immediate return of prisoners.

In addition to all this, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia specially notes that state bodies and officials must ensure proper communication with families of prisoners and missing persons, provide them with comprehensive information, act systematically, and be attentive to each of their words to avoid any tension,” the statement from the Human Rights Defender reads.

It should be noted that yesterday, at the “Erebuni” airport, a large number of relatives of prisoners were waiting for the return of their sons, which, however, did not happen. Afterward, the parents announced that they would join protesting parents in front of the Ministry of Defense. The parents of missing servicemen spent the whole night near the ministry's building, blocking its entrances. Until this moment, no one from the Ministry of Defense has approached the parents.