The Trials Organized by Azerbaijani Authorities Against Our Prisoners Are Artificial: Ombudsman

The trials organized by Azerbaijani authorities against our prisoners are artificial, serving merely as a facade for the outside world to justify their refusal to release the captives, while aiming to obtain as many military-political benefits as possible during this time. This statement was made by the Armenian Ombudsman.

The Azerbaijani authorities have initially disregarded the humanitarian imperative for the immediate return of the captives. Instead, they have engaged in political bargaining and human trafficking, for instance, exchanging individuals held hostage in parts for territorial concessions or mined maps.

The Ombudsman has published undeniable evidence confirming this fact, including a video of a conversation between the President of Azerbaijan and the First Lady of Turkey. The basis of the trials lies in the 'confessions' extracted from the captives, under conditions where their lives are under daily threat, grossly violating the absolute prohibition of inhumane treatment.

State-sponsored incitement of hatred continues. This practice, founded on gross violations of international law, is substantiated in the Ombudsman's special report. In such circumstances, it's unnecessary to speak of fair trial rights or any other rights.

Particularly condemnable is the Azerbaijani authorities' demonstrative coverage of the trials, which humiliates human dignity. Each time such coverage occurs, calls for torture and killing of the captives rise in Azerbaijan, igniting hatred (evidence has been documented).

The ongoing complaints and alerts directed to the Ombudsman from families of captives and missing persons clearly indicate that the trials cause additional psychological suffering, exacerbating the trauma experienced by the people.

Finally, it should not be forgotten that the abductions occurred within the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has not yet concluded. Therefore, all military personnel and civilians held in Azerbaijan are captives by status from the outset.

Consequently, any trial is fundamentally a fabrication, a facade created with gross violations of international law, in a desperate attempt to legitimize them, while keeping the captives in detention is an illegal punishment.

This situation grossly violates international human rights requirements, including the Third Geneva Convention of 1949. Everyone, including professional circles in Armenia, should bear this in mind.

The Ombudsman once again calls on the international community to pay attention to these facts and the behavior of Azerbaijani authorities, which grossly infringe upon the foundations of international law and disrupt the system of international humanitarian law developed over decades.

This statement will also be sent to all relevant organizations with necessary evidence. All captives must be released and returned to their homeland immediately, without any preconditions.