Armenian Hostages Subjected to Torture Near Formula 1 Event in Baku, The Sunday Times

If you are among those following the Formula 1 Grand Prix taking place in Baku, take a moment to consider the following. Just half a mile away from the racing drivers in the capital of Azerbaijan is the headquarters of the State Security Service, where representatives of the former Armenian government of Nagorno-Karabakh, among many other political prisoners, are subjected to torture. This is how British journalist and writer Dominic Lawson begins his article in The Sunday Times.

"The Formula 1 Grand Prix is being held right next to the ears of Armenian hostages. They have been illegally held captive in Baku since September of last year, after Azerbaijan invaded the disputed area and shortly thereafter captured them. It is believed that Armenian leaders, including three former presidents of Nagorno-Karabakh, are being held there," wrote Lawson.

The article also addresses the annual UN climate change conference COP29 taking place in Baku this November. "Ilham Aliyev, who has held the presidency of Azerbaijan since inheriting it from his father in 2003 and later appointed his wife as vice president, is the latest example of how autocratic oil-rich states disguise their hypocrisy under the guise of combating climate change. Aliyev has the audacity to declare that it will be a 'Peace COP.' I cannot believe that this slogan could have been conceived by the British PR firm Teneo, which is handling Azerbaijan's COP29. Previously, another British PR company, Portland Communications, made every effort to polish the image of Baku's regime for a hefty reward," the article notes.

The author draws parallels between the official rhetoric of Azerbaijan's current leadership and that of the Ottoman Empire prior to the genocide. He quotes Ilham Aliyev's words: "Armenia has never existed in this region before. Present-day Armenia is our land." "In reality, 'present-day' Armenia constitutes only 10 percent of its historical territory," Lawson observes, adding, "Armenia is a landlocked small country, lacking the strategic significance of oil or gas. This fact helps explain why the pragmatic Ministry of Foreign Affairs has consistently advised British administrations not to offend Turkey by recognizing the genocide."