ECHR to Review Evidence of Crimes Against Two Armenian Detainees Tried in Azerbaijan: Lawyer

The information about the trial of Armenian detainees in Azerbaijan has emerged from Azerbaijani sources. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has not yet taken a position on whether these individuals are criminals, which means they are acting more cautiously in legal processes, but they are being portrayed as criminals for propaganda purposes on political platforms. This was stated by lawyer Siranuhi Sahakyan, who is engaged in the protection of the rights of prisoners of war at the ECHR, in an interview with Tert.am regarding the reports disseminated by Azerbaijani sources yesterday that detainees Lyudvig Mkrtchyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan are being prosecuted as criminals.

“Lyudvig Mkrtchyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan are accused of forming armed groups, illegally crossing the border of Azerbaijan, and committing war crimes. Alyosha Khosrovyan is also accused of conducting espionage activities. According to them, Alyosha Khosrovyan was captured while conducting espionage activities,” said Siranuhi Sahakyan.

Sahakyan noted that it is likely that they were forced to provide self-incriminating testimonies due to torture, which means that this evidence cannot be legal and does not reveal the truth. “Given that Azerbaijan has committed war crimes known to the international community, it is attempting to create a distorted image through fabricated cases. For this purpose, it uses legal resources to mislead the international community and justify its official theses within the framework of these fabricated cases,” she explained.

When asked about the status of negotiations regarding these individuals in the current situation, Sahakyan noted that negotiations on their behalf are not being halted, especially since other persons under different statuses have also been included in the trilateral agreement, referring to anyone who is deprived of liberty in any state for any reason.

The lawyer emphasizes that the prosecution of Alyosha Khosrovyan and Lyudvig Mkrtchyan as criminals is purely propagandistic in nature. “We believe that this process will also involve other individuals. Their official position is that those held in Azerbaijan are criminals, and gradually they will try to attribute crimes to everyone. This evidence will be reviewed in the European court, which will demand materials related to the criminal case, and in this regard, we are confident that we will establish the fabricated nature of these criminal cases in international judicial processes. The court will thoroughly examine the status of the individuals in question, and I am confident that it will be proven that they are individuals who have solely fulfilled their duties to the homeland. I am sure that we will establish the truth through legal mechanisms,” she stated.

It is noteworthy that, according to Azerbaijani media reports, Lyudvig Mkrtchyan (born 1969) and Alyosha Khosrovyan (born 1967) are accused of crimes. The source indicates that the investigation of the criminal case has been completed and sent to the military court in Baku. Twelve Azerbaijanis are involved as victims in the case. The criminal case has been handed over to Judge Elbey Alahverdiev.