The Real Purpose of the 'Mild' Sentences for 14 Armenian Prisoners of War Revealed by Siranush Sahakyan

Siranush Sahakyan, a representative for the interests of prisoners of war and captives at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), deems the sentencing of Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan to 4 years and 6 months as mere imitation, calling it a tactical move to save the country's reputation and image.

In an interview with Armenpress, Sahakyan emphasized that regardless of the imposed six-month or four-year sentences, Armenian prisoners of war are subject to immediate repatriation. “From the very beginning, we have held the position that these are fabricated criminal cases. Our soldiers have not been involved in any activities other than defending the homeland. Moreover, they did not act on their own initiative; they were conscripted into the army and received orders from their command to serve in a location that was reaffirmed by the November 9 statement to be within the borders of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and was not surrendered to Azerbaijan as a result of the war,” said Sahakyan.

According to the human rights defender, Azerbaijani authorities are under various pressures, as international partners send signals indicating the absence of terrorism and other crimes. “Currently, they tactically charged them with some accusations, but for political reasons, they still hold onto an act that has not been committed—illegal border crossing. You understand the subtext: the territories that Azerbaijan claims as its own. With this, Azerbaijan intimidates Armenians and Armenian servicemen, indicating that if they act on orders in those areas, they may be subject to threats and criminal prosecution,” Sahakyan noted.

The representative at ECHR emphasized that they will continue to assertively raise the issue of the illegal sentencing of prisoners of war in the European court. “We do not accept in any way, nor recognize the trial or any verdict issued as a result of this trial,” added Sahakyan.

When asked why Azerbaijani authorities retreated, given that they presented the prisoners of war as saboteurs, terrorists, and threatened lifelong imprisonment, yet ended up sentencing them to four years or six months, Siranush Sahakyan replied that it is an imitation, as there are real chances for all of this to collapse, which is also understood by their professional team. “First, they will try to further legitimize the charge of illegal border crossing. They will show that we really acted independently, but independent actions can also lead to charges for which the prisoners of war are sentenced. Since they know very well that the entire judicial process will be recognized internationally as void, they are trying to sacrifice part of it to legitimize another part,” said Sahakyan.

When asked whether the six-month sentence for 12 Armenian prisoners of war means that these prisoners have already served their punishment, given that they have been in Azerbaijan for more than 9 months, Siranush Sahakyan responded that it is necessary to understand from which phase they were initially detained and from that day forward, their sentence should be reduced. “We do not have very detailed information to provide an accurate response, but once again, our position is as follows: regardless of whether there is a six-month sentence or a four-year sentence, the boys are subject to and still eligible for immediate repatriation. Simply, later on, Azerbaijan's justifications will decrease. If they justified not returning the captives to international partners based on legal processes, after these deadlines expire, it will be difficult to substantiate why they are not being returned,” concluded Sahakyan.